Convicted
by 123HSMluver
Summary: He's a cold, angry killer. She's a sweet, loving guidance counsellor. When they meet for the first time in seven years, they both realize what they've been living without. Love should save you from death, but when has death ever played by the rules?
1. A Dark Lonely Night

**AN: Okay so this took longer for me to get up then I thought it would, sorry about that! Life gets so busy all of the time, you know? Anyways, this is chapter one of my new fic and I hope that you love it as much as I do! Enjoy!**

The walls of the silent home were bathed in red where he had killed his victims. He could see bloody handprints glistening in the dimly hit home, the drips of blood still running down the panels of the walls. Absentmindedly, he touched the vibrant colour, rubbing it between his fingers as he listened to the utter silence of the house.

Closing his eyes, Troy relived the last moments of his victim's life, relishing the fear that had lingered in the young lady's eyes. She had held out a hand to him, warning him away as she lay bleeding heavily. Troy had granted her no mercy and had finished the job easily, leaving her slumped against the bloodstained wall with her eyes still wide open in horror.

The sight didn't scare him or disturb him at all; such sights were Troy's lifestyle. A sight that he wasn't used to seeing, though, was that the victim that he had just killed, the young woman who had begged him to spare her, was younger than he was. Throughout Troy's 'career' he had never taken the life of anyone that was younger than forty, he had never needed to. Everyone knew that the old people always had the most money and the nicest things that he could take and sell, but this case had been an exception.

Earlier on that day, Troy had done a quick bit of research on the girl, seeing that she was the daughter of a wealthy statesman (a man that he and his partner had killed a few months back) and lived alone in a desolate, isolated place far from a city. Right away, Troy knew that he wanted to break in. H knew that it would be the ideal break in and would result in major money.

His partner had refused to do it, saying that killing anyone that wasn't old was wrong. He also refused to kill a single woman. But Troy didn't hold any beliefs of that sort. Troy knew that in able to make a name for yourself in this sort of career, you had to be heartless, brutal and hold no mercy, no matter what you found when you got to a murder site.

Troy had started out as just a harmless burglar, hitting rich people's houses and Taking only enough to give himself a generous outcome. He had always struck when the habitants had left for a vacation or an evening out, always making sure that he was gone long before they returned. That was back when he still had a soul. That had been a while ago, though, and now Troy was a hardened criminal, wanted all over the country for the people that he had killed and deeds that he had done.

Troy walked around the silent mansion, grabbing valuables and stuffing them in a sack, remembering to keep an eye on approaching vehicles thought he doubted that anyone would be coming to visit at this time of night. As he looted the place, Troy allowed himself to remember the first victim that he had killed, smirking a bit as he realized what a wimp that he had been, scared of hurting them, scared of them realizing that he wasn't their friend.

It had been a few months after he started robbing houses, and Troy was beginning to get more confident in his abilities. So confident, in fact, that he began to stay longer, leaving the looted houses mere minutes before the owners returned to their broken-in homes. This particular night, Troy had stayed too long, getting distracted by the portraits hung on the wall, the lavish furniture, the breathtaking beauty of the sleek furniture. He had lost his focus and found himself still in the kitchen when the owner had returned home and caught him huddling behind the fridge.

Troy had panicked, hopping onto the older man and yelling at him to remain silent even though the older man hadn't uttered a peep. The man had collapsed onto the floor due to Troy's weight and cracked his head on the kitchen tile.

Hard.

Blood had pooled everywhere and Troy stared in terror at the scene before him, uttering a few tearful apologies before snatching the toaster and running like hell as he realized that he had just graduated from a burglar to a murderer. The first time was the hardest, though. Soon Troy felt himself beginning to desensitize and at first he became alarmed. But then realized what a good thing that would be for his career. And so he had continued.

Pulled back to the present by the creak of a floorboard, Troy immediately crouched behind an overstuffed armchair, his mind racing through all of the possibilities of who it could be. Throughout all of the research that he had done, there had never been any mention of family reunions or even any pictures with friends.

_A boyfriend, perhaps?_ His mind asked, prompting Troy to raise to his full height again as the sounds moved closer to him. Troy dropped his bag silently to the ground behind him and readied his weapon which he had retrieved from the chest of the home owner before venturing around.

Another floorboard squeaked closer to him, but there was no other sound to be heard and Troy had to strain to figure out which way the intruder was heading. Squinting, Troy tried to see the silhouette of his enemy, but nothing registered in his eyes and Troy had to take a deep breath to keep himself from getting dizzy from the concentration.

There was a rustle behind him but before Troy could turn around, someone jumped on his back with such precision that Troy knew immediately that he was training with someone who obviously knew how to take someone else down. Troy hissed as he hit the ground and immediately began to kick and flail at the person that was squishing him into the floorboards, but the grip on his shoulders was so great that all he was doing was wasting his energy; there was no way that he was getting away from his attacker anytime soon.

The knife was stuck between Troy's chest and the floor and Troy went limp for a moment, hoping that the other person would think he had surrendered. The grip on his shoulders loosened a bit but was still too firm for Troy to manoeuvre his arms. He cursed loudly and thought that he heard his still invisible attacker laugh, which only infuriated him more.

There was a crackle of a radio and when he heard the voice of the person holding him down, Troy knew that it was all over.

"Got him boys. Send a car over and we'll take him down to the station. Looks like we got him just in time, he already killed the girl and he was in the process of nabbing all of her stuff."

The police officer hauled Troy up off the ground and cuffed him, reading him his rights in a quiet, smug undertone that made Troy's blood boil. However, there was nothing that he could do and instead he admitted defeat and let the police officer lead him out to the driveway where Troy could hear the wails of sirens getting closer and closer.

The day was overcast and drizzly, but Gabriella dressed in bright colours anyway. The rain had never bothered her before and she wasn't about to let it start now. Twirling her hair into a tight bun, Gabriella hummed to herself as she got ready for work, slipping her shoes on and grabbing her briefcase from where it stood in the front hall.

Small pinpricks of rain hit her cheeks as she trotted out to her car but Gabriella didn't rush like everyone else was, she took her time, admiring her flowerbeds and taking time to pat the neighbourhood cat that was wandering through her front yard.

The drive to her workplace was busy and Gabriella concentrated on the road, trying her best to avoid traffic jams and skipping her usual coffee stop when she realized that she was going to be late for work. With a quick glance at her watch, Gabriella pulled through the gates of the prison with six minutes to spare, just enough time for her to park her car, get through security, and clock in. Gabriella smiled to herself as she entered the dismal halls of the top security prison, ignoring all of the buzzers, the dull lights, and the acidic stench of the place. To her, this place was home. It was a place where she got to help others turn their lives around, to give them someone to talk to about how they all thought that what they were doing was right. It gave her the chance to help someone make a life for themselves, to allow them to start fresh.

Gabriella loved her job as a prison guidance counsellor, and she wouldn't have her life any other way.

**AN: Okay so how was that? I hope it got your interest sparked! Please let me know what you thought that I'll be back with more soon, I promise! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Back To The Brig

Back to the Brig

_Home sweet home_ Troy thought to himself as his cell was locked behind him. The walls were a whitewashed brick and there were no windows - not that Troy cared. He had tired of the windowed rooms on his second stay in the prison, there wasn't much to see and Troy wasn't the type of guy to gaze at the clouds. With a leisurely sigh, Troy swung himself onto his thin, squeaky bed and rested his hands behind his head, much more relaxed in the tiny room than he should be.

Truth be told, Troy _liked_ to be in prison because it meant that he was surrounded by other people that thought the same way as him; had turned down the dark path of life in search of an unpopular career choice. Troy was one of the most wanted criminals in the country due to his countless murders, breaking-and-entering, escapes from prison and resisting arrest. As such, he had gained quite the reputation among other criminals and Troy was, to put it simply, popular among the other inmates. That made him certain that he had not made a mess of his life, even though every single counsellor that had met with him insisted that he had. Speaking of which, he could hear heels walking down the hall towards his cell and Troy sat up with a scowl, knowing that it was probably the jail counsellor. It was compulsory that each inmate meet with the counsellor once a week during their stay and Troy was no stranger to the horrible, angering meetings.

With a loud beep, the door to his cell slid open slowly and Troy glowered at the silhouette standing there with a folder in her arms. She smiled at him, ignoring his expression on walked into the cell, taking a seat on the iron chair and crossing her legs as she prepared to start in on the interview. Troy already knew the first question that she would ask and he waited with the answer on his lips.

"Troy, do you know why you're here?" She asked, her dark eyes trained on him. Troy narrowed his gaze at her use of his name. He was used to the counsellors using his last name or his inmate number, not his name.

"Do you see me as some kind of imbecile, of course I know why I'm here." He replied in a quiet voice, like he always did.

The young woman sitting in front of him was completely relaxed, proving to Troy that she was used to dealing with all sorts of convicts. She was a stranger to him, though, and he was getting frustrated with her pleasant expression.

"Troy, you are no imbecile." She replied back, her tone even. "Looking at your high school records, you seem like a pretty bright person. Why are you choosing to throw your life away rather than use the knowledge that you have? It's not too late to start fresh you know, it never is."

Troy growled deep in his throat, but she didn't so much as flinch. It was clear that she was determined to get something out of him, but Troy wasn't going to give in either, he just wanted to her leave. He remained silent.

The stranger opened the file on her lap and Troy knew that it was his record. She skimmed it briefly and then regarded him again with a penetrating, kind look.

"Looks like you've hit rock bottom, Troy. I think it's time to start climbing that ladder because there's nowhere else for you to go."

Troy glared at her and sat forward despite his vow to remain silent.

"You don't even know me, how the hell can you say that I'm at rock bottom? You're just a perfect little goody-two-shoes that lives your perfect little world of money and unicorns and rainbows - it's not like you actually _care_ about what happens to me! All that you care about is getting your pay cheque." He exploded.

Her reaction was to smile and cock her head slightly to the side. This infuriated him even more and he glowered at her, seething.

"If you'll let me help, you can start to make a life for yourself again." She said after a moment of silence, seeming perfectly comfortable even though he was glaring daggers at her.

"I don't want your help or anyone else's help, okay? Just leave me alone and let me do my time in peace!" Troy spat, and having said all that he desired, he crossed his arms and pressed his lips together, signalling that he was done talking.

The woman sighed and shrugged her shoulders, closing the folder and getting up from her perch.

"You can't get rid of me that easy, Troy. We'll be seeing each other every week whether you like it or not and whether you decide to let me help you is your choice. But if you ever have a change of heart, all you have to do is ask for me and I'll be ready to help you get what it is that you want."

She knocked on the door and the beeping went off again as it slid open. Just as she was about to leave, Troy surprised himself by asking one last question.

"Hey, what's your name?"

She turned back to him with a smile.

"Gabriella." She informed him. "And believe it or not, I _am_ your friend."

Gabriella was lost in her thoughts as she headed down the corridor to her office. Her brow furrowed as she went over the meeting with her newest patient, Troy, trying to figure out how she was going to get through to him. Something about him seemed familiar, but she chalked it up to it being the attitude, having seen many the criminal react that way to her. Somehow, though, their brief chat remained in her mind as she entered her office and settled at her desk, spreading out his file in front of her.

Glancing at her watch, she still had time before her next appointment, and she sighed, going through his court records and notes from various police departments with a careful eye. Even though his cold demeanour said otherwise, Gabriella knew that there was some good in him somewhere; everyone had a good side, no matter how hidden it was. Gabriella had dealt with hard, practiced criminals in her career and each time she had managed to get through to them. This case wasn't going to be any different.

_He seems to have quite the reputation…_Gabriella thought suddenly with a sigh, remembering the gossip that she had heard about their newest arrival in the break room that morning. The whole prison had been buzzing about Troy Bolton's capture and Gabriella had been tracking his record for quite some time; she knew what he was capable of. What she didn't know was _why_ he lived the way he did.

Looking at the earlier records of his life, Gabriella realized with a shock that they had attended the same high school. She wracked her mind as she tried to place him in her memory, but the name didn't ring a bell at all. Judging by his character now, it was impossible to tell what social 'clique' he would have been part of in his high school days, but Gabriella made a mental note to check her yearbook from senior year when she got home that evening. Telling herself that she had lots of time to get to know him, Gabriella closed his file and locked it away, trying to push him out of her mind for the time being; she didn't get very far.

**AN: Alright, so I hope that was alright for you all! I know it's kind of dull right now, but there has to be a boring part somewhere right? Thanks for reading and please feel free to review! It makes me smile!**


	3. Nighttime Escapes

The next few nights were sleepless ones for Gabriella as she went over and over Troy's case. She had gone through her yearbooks the night after their meeting and found his school photo to be almost the opposite of what he was now. In the photo, his eyes were lit up, making the blue seem brighter than the sky, and his expression had been one of pure joy and hope for the future. She had seen his smiling face again in the basketball team's group photo and when she really thought about, she thought she could remember from the games. The sad truth was, he was till very much a stranger to her, and he obviously didn't remember her from their high school years.

Troy had been a jock, and she had been a straight A student - their paths had never crossed in high school and they had never had any friends in common. It seemed so shocking to Gabriella that someone as motivated and driven as Troy Bolton had ended up in such a horrible, stunning rut. She had honestly expected him to be at the top of the ladder in his career, not in the bottom of a hole as a convicted murderer.

Almost a week later, Gabriella was pouring over his file for the seemingly millionth time, scanning the printed documents for any sort of sign that the old Troy was still in there. She had been hunched over the same file for hours and now, Gabriella straightened, took a sip of wine, and rubbed her temples. It was obvious that nothing in his behaviour resembled the Troy that had once been the king of East High, but what had been irritating Gabriella to no end, is what had driven him into such a different state of mind then when she had known him before.

Sure, everyone changed after high school, but this wasn't just your ordinary 'grow-up-and-get-a-real-job' transformation; this was the kind of change that Gabriella was certain had to do with some sort of bad event from his past. Gabriella knew that if she could sort out where Troy had done wrong, she'd be able to help turn him around in his life; help him find a reason to do good instead of bad. The only problem is that she didn't know what that life altering even was - there was nothing in his file and Gabriella knew that Troy would never tell her of his own accord.

_Maybe I would be able to get in contact with some of his old friends…maybe they'd be able to tell me when he started to act strange._ Gabriella decided, draining her glass of wine as she thought. Who was his best friend back in high school? She closed her eyes and thought hard. A glimmer of a memory popped into her head and she grasped at it desperately.

_Flashback_

_The highways were loud and chaotic - more so that usual as it was the last day of school before Christmas - and Gabriella manoeuvred her way carefully through the jostling crowds, ducking under arms and elbowing her way delicately past groups of laughing friends. _

_After reaching her locker, she shoved her books inside and then shrugged into her winter coat, her eyes roaming the crowds as she tried to find her best friend amongst all of the bodies. There was a loud roar of laughter and Gabriella cried out in alarm as something shoved her from behind, into the unforgiving metal of the lockers. Gabriella lifted her hands to shield her face and then whirled around to face whatever had squished her._

_An apologetic boy stood before her with a unruly cloud of curly hair. There was a slight hush in the chatter of the hallway and Gabriella felt her cheeks redden as he looked at her awkwardly, shuffling from foot to foot. She searched for his name and then relaxed as she realized that he was one of the jocks from the basketball team - Chad._

"_Sorry about that," He mumbled, his eyes on his shoes. "Troy shoved me into you by mistake."_

"_Hey! I did not, you tripped and fell yourself, dufus!" A voice retorted from somewhere a few feet away._

_Gabriella recognized the rich, carefree voice to be that of East High's star player and found her eyes searching for his sandy hair and blue eyes that were his trademark. There were too many people, however, and she dropped her gaze to her shoes, embarrassed that he wouldn't even look at her when he was talking to her himself. But what could she expect? He was a jock and everyone knew that jocks never talked to brainiacs like her._

_Angry with herself for caring, Gabriella excused herself and hurried for the doors to get out of the school, her cheeks flaming as she heard another roar of laughter from the popular crowd. Tears of humiliation filled her eyes at their banter and accusations of bumping into her, and she looked back over her shoulder, feeling awkward as Troy caught her eye for a moment and then smirked at her._

_What had she ever done to deserve their teasing?_

_End of Flashback_

Chad - that was his name. Gabriella wondered if maybe Troy still made contact with his former best friend and basketball buddy…probably not, she doubted that Chad would want anything to do with the dark shell that Troy had become since high school. Still, it was definitely something that she could check out.

Gabriella was startled from her thoughts by a knock on the door and she jumped, lowering her wine glass to the floor beside her before getting to her feet and ambling towards the door to her apartment. She peeped through the spy hole and then sighed, opening the door a crack.

"Hey baby, I miss you." The rumpled man slurred, forcing his way through the door as soon as he realized that it was open. Gabriella tried to shove him back out but he was stronger than she was. And drunk, she realized.

"Trevor, you need to go home." She announced, trying without much success to keep his hands off of her.

"But I miss you baby" He crooned, shutting the door and kissing her. Gabriella stiffened and struggled against him, uncomfortable with how persistent he was being with her.

His hands were fumbling at her shirt and Gabriella pushed hard against him, managing to make him stumble back a step. She narrowed her eyes at him and caught her breath, trying not to shudder at the reek of his breath.

"Enough - you need to leave, Trev. Now." She said firmly.

He cornered her again and breathed into her ear in a husky tone.

"But I need you, baby. You know that."

He kissed her again, more urgently this time, and Gabriella knew that she was losing the battle as desire took over his already foggy mind. She tried to push him away from her once more but he didn't budge, trying to pull her towards the bedroom.

"Trev, stop!" She insisted, but he refused.

Gabriella knew what he wanted; it was what he always wanted and she didn't really have the heart to resist him at the moment. The little bit of wine she had drank was making her a bit woozy too so she gave into his come-ons and tried her best to forget all about Troy, and everything that had happened in the past few days, needing some sort of relief from the sleep deprivation. She knew that she wouldn't find it with Trevor, but she had no energy to fight him anymore and so she gave up her struggle for the night.

**AN: Hi guys, I know it's been a while since I updated, but I had quite the hard time writing this chapter. This is the first time that I've ever written anything like this so I wanted to make sure that it was implied enough to everyone understands what happens after the end of the chapter, but not so blunt that I have to explain everything. Basically, the point of putting Trevor into this story is just to show you guys that a.) Gabriella has never been friends or more with Troy, and b.) She's independent and had previous relationships before the story started. Hope this was okay! Please review!**


	4. Memory Lane

**AN: So, before all of you lovely readers jump down my throat in fury, I must explain myself. You see, HSM, although amazing, has passed its days of glory. It's something that has a very special place in my heart for a number of reasons, but I've been thinking about stopping with my Fanfiction for quite some time. After my last update, I decided that I **_**would**_** stop. I was convinced that it wasn't getting any publicity anymore. So I ignored my inner writer and forgot about it. However, just a few hours ago, I logged onto my FF account and was **_**shocked**_** to see that the hit number had sky-rocketed in the past few days on this particular story. Obviously, it is one that has caught quite a few fans attention. Thus, I have decided to continue the story! HOOZAH! So, hoping that you won't impale me with pitchforks, please enjoy this chapter!**

Memory Lane

Troy silently paced his cell, counting the laps as he crossed the tiny space. At a brisk pace, he was getting quite the workout and was pleased when his muscles began to ache with fatigue. At this rate by the time the shrink came, he'd be tired and calm enough to not get aggravated by her constant tranquility and endless questions.

Troy had been in the jail for three months now and every week Gabriella had come to see him as she had promised. She was quiet but persistent. Even though Troy had not given out any information about himself when she asked the questions that she did every week, she kept on asking without seeming to get annoyed or frustrated. She watched him a lot too, he noticed, but he didn't think anything of it. He was a well known criminal and she knew his record - he was hoping that her curious gaze was out of fear. But he doubted it. She hadn't been the slightest bit ruffled in the all the hour long meetings they'd had together.

Troy took a break and stretched out his leg muscles gently, measuring his breathing and heart rate. Out of his old life, exercise was the only thing that he still was attached to. He had been on his high school basketball team and had become fond of the adrenaline rush that he got after a long run or a tough game of any sort of sport. It was different from when he was on the job and stalking his prey - this was a cleaner, happier adrenaline. He preferred this adrenaline to the one that he got after a successful kill - not that he'd ever admit that. But enough thinking. Now was the time for moving.

Before he could get up from his bed however, he heard the familiar, tell tale click of heels on the cement floor. He frowned. She was early. His only reaction, however, was to sigh and settle more comfortably on the mattress, glowering expression and tense muscles already in place before the door had even slid open.

Gabriella stepped into the cell with the same natural grace that she always did and offered a bright smile, which he did not return. None-the-less, she sat down on the stool that she always did and rested her chin on her petite fist, regarding him openly. He scowled at her.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'm just watching to see if you'll figure it out."

Her voice, as always, irritated him.

"Figure what out?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"You still haven't remembered me?"

Troy growled as a response, fury boiling through his blood. If she wasn't careful, this woman was going to feel the full wrath of his temper. He hated mind games. Gabrielle giggled - giggled! - at his reaction and then sighed, the smile still on her lips.

"I guess I really was invisible to you! Troy, you and I went to high school together."

Troy definitely hadn't been expecting that. He had no response.

"I got you that time! I bet that wasn't a normal question, was it, hmmm?" Gabriella crooned, leaning toward him with laughter in her dark eyes. "You were the captain of the basketball, the 'golden boy' of East High, weren't you?"

Troy nodded.

"And who were you?" He asked, in spite of himself. Gabriella smiled again, obviously happy with his response. Troy cursed in his head; no more responding to questions.

"I was a nerd." She laughed, tucking a curl behind her ear as her eyes glazed over from memories. "You didn't even know my name, I don't think. Our best friends dated though, for a month or two."

Chad. Troy hadn't thought about him in a _long_ time. The two had parted ways after high school, best friends that always had each other's back. Troy couldn't even remember what had ruined their friendship; not that he cared. He was past having friends. Convicted murderers didn't need friends, he reminded himself.

"I don't remember you at all." Troy stated, hoping to hurt her feelings.

"I know." Gabriella replied, looking just as cheery as usual. "That doesn't surprise me. But I remember you. And I'm wondering why you ended up the way that you did. As far as I can tell, you had the perfect life in high school. When you graduated, everything seemed perfect. Whatever caused you to go down the path that you did must have happened during college. Do you know what that trigger is, Troy? Would you like to tell me?"

Troy regarded her silently, keeping his expression stony and unforgiving. There was no way that he was going to let her into his head. No way. That was _not_ in his schedule. The last thing he wanted was the jail shrink trying to be best friends with him. Gabriella, however, continued.

"You see, I was speaking with Chad the other day, Troy." She started slowly, keeping her expert gaze trained on him. "He's doing rather well. He teaches Gym to a middle school across the city, you know. He's heard about you and what kind of life you've been living. Do you know what he told me, Troy?"

"What?" Troy growled before he could stop himself. Damn it.

"He told me that he wished he had stayed your friend. That maybe if he had been a better friend, you wouldn't have turned out the way that you did. Chad told me that he still thinks about you all the time. He wants to know the real you. Not the version that everyone else sees. You know you're allowed a visitor, right? You could request that he come down the jail to see you."

She rose from her stool, signalling to the guard that she wanted to be let out. The door slid open and she smiled down at him, leaving him with one final comment.

"If you're going to let anyone see the 'real you', I think it should be your best friend. You know that he'll always have your back. That's what best friends are for, Troy. Call him."

The door slid shut after her and Troy sat still for a long time, thinking. Countless memories leaked back to him from his glory days. He could remember Chad better than he could remember anyone; even his own parents. Troy closed his eyes and succumbed to the memories for a long time, thinking hard about what she had said to him.

Then he realized what she had done.

Troy roared and leapt to his feet, pacing wildly from right to left, calming his temper, and picturing how he'd kill the young brunette. He understood now, why she had said the things that she had done. She had be strategic about when and how she had told him the information. She had been softening him up, making him trust her, that way when he saw her next, he would maybe open up to her more and learn something about himself that no one else would have been able to get otherwise. Damn her!

Well, she had another thing coming. If she thought that he was going to crack like an egg, that easy, then she was in the wrong line of work. Troy was used to being interrogated, he knew every trick of the book. He wouldn't be that naïve again.

Midnight had passed long ago, but still, Gabriella was awake. She was thinking about her conversation with Troy that day. It had been unexpected. When she had attempted to make contact with Chad, she had never expected him to call her back. Also, she had been even more shocked when he told her that he remembered her from those days long ago. He had been friendly, even inviting her to coffee one day to catch up. Gabriella had enjoyed their conversation so much that she had agreed to it whole-heartedly.

Now, though, she was back on the mind track that she seemed to spend so much of her time now days; Troy Bolton. If she was completely honest with herself, something about him unsettled her. It could be because of his cold front that he put up to protect the good inside of him. He was more careful than the rest of the inmates that she had ever dealt with, and Gabriella thought she knew why.

Although he denied it, Gabriella was sure that Troy could remember her from their high school days. Even if he hadn't known her name, they had shared enough classes that he would be able to place her. His 'secret' was a defence mechanism. He put up that feigned memory loss to keep himself for identifying with her, and thus him former self. She was absolutely certain, that whatever had caused his downfall into a life of a criminal, it had something to do with someone that he had known well in high school.

Troy was a hard case to crack, but as she lay alone in bed that night, Gabriella vowed to herself that she would do whatever it took to get through to him. She had never failed with a single patient yet, and she wasn't about to start now.

**AN: Reviews anyone? Please? If there are any of you left, that is!**


	5. Cracking

**AN: I would just like to say a **_**huge**_** thank you to all of my fantastic readers out there, you made coming back a much more enjoyable experience! I'm grateful that no one is hating me, and I hope that you can all continue to be as amazing and supporting as you already have been! Thank you all so much, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Oh! And I apologize for the vast amount of typos in my last chapter, I was just so excited to be writing with these awesome characters again! I'll try to do better this time, haha!**

Gabriella took her time walking down the wide corridor of the prison. The session that she had just finished would be her last one with that particular inmate, the older woman was about to be released on parole, something that Gabriella was always happy to see. Feeling freer than usual, Gabriella began to hum as she entered her office. After she had locked the file away into the filing cabinet, Gabriella sat down at her desk and then frowned at the unfamiliar envelope sitting in the centre of the working surface.

Gabriella opened it quickly and then her eyebrows raised in surprise. It was from the guards at visitors centre. Apparently, Chad Danforth had contacted them and asked for a visit with Troy. The guards were asking for her okay that Troy would respond well to the visit. Gabriella smiled and quickly signed the letter, adding a note that she wanted Troy to accept the invitation as well; that it would be beneficial to him to make the decision on his own.

Gabriella grabbed his file from her cabinet and twirled the key ring around her finger as she considered going to tell Troy the news herself. Maybe she'd be able to lessen the anger that she was sure he'd be feeling over the invitation. She'd only seen him two days before, however, and doubted that he'd be receptive to her. She was sure that he had figured out her strategy for bringing Chad up like she had; Troy was no imbecile and was probably extremely angry with her.

The young brunette suppressed the urge to tell Troy the news herself and sat down at her desk, confirming that she had an hour before meeting her next patient. Gabriella pulled out the intimidating, large pile of paperwork that she had yet to file away and started at the task, turning on the radio in order to make the mundane task go by a little faster and easier.

Once she was done, Gabriella grabbed the file, scanned her notes from the last session with the young teenaged mother, and hurried down the hallway to another wing of the prison, completely unaware of the fact that her plan against Troy, although slow-moving, had worked. And he was beginning to crack around the edges.

The bright sky caused Troy to blink as he was led out into the yard. The clinking of chains and restraints filled the air, instead of the chirping of birds, and the landscape surrounding the fenced in field was barren and desolate. Troy hated his hour outdoors and usually spent most of it brooding on a bench under a brightly coloured sun umbrella. Today, however, he decided to shake his routine up a little bit, not even realizing his motivation to do so.

Signing out a basketball from a timid worker off to the side of the court, Troy bounced the orange ball from hand to hand, relishing at the feel of the rough treads biting into his palms. Troy hadn't even touched a basketball since his freshman year in college; the year that everything had gone wrong.

It took him a few tries, but Troy began to dribble, jogging slowly up the court and towards the ramshackle basketball hoop at the other end. The feeling was almost completely forgotten, but Troy found that a small smile was twitching at his lips. Tuning out the rest of the world, Troy pretended he was back in high school and sped up his pace, imagining the roaring of the crowds and the sweet smell of sweat and popcorn. The ball flew towards the net, and after wobbling on the rim, fell through the hoop, causing a real smile to light up his face.

_Not bad for the first time in eight years._ He thought to himself.

The rest of his activity hour was spent on the basketball court, the sun shining down on his mop of dingy hair, and warming his face. Troy was honestly almost disappointed when the horn sounded, signalling the end of their hour. However, as soon as he got back into his cell, Troy remembered _why_ he didn't let his guard down and have fun.

A guard stood in his tiny room, taking up most of the space, an envelope in his hand. Troy immediately recognized him as one of the guards from the front gate of the prison. And that could only mean one thing - Chad. The conversation with the shrink had rattled him so much that it was affecting him even now.

Troy glared at the man and brushed past him, walking to his bed in measured steps. He might not be able to control how angry the shrink made him, but he could ensure that he make her pay for it somehow. He just didn't know how. Being rude to the security guard was a good start, though.

"What."

Troy's voice was angry and scary. Good.

"I have a message."

"No, really? And here I was thinking you came all this way to just say hi. I don't want your message. Get out of here." Troy drawled, even adding a smug look.

The guard was unruffled, however, and tossed the envelope onto the floor, exiting the cell without a glance at Troy. It took all of Troy's willpower, not to jump on the man's back, knowing that the only result would be an extra visit from the shrink that he was oh-so-fond of.

Aware that he was acting like a child, Troy kicked the envelope into the far corner of his cell and lay down on his bed, back to the small expanse of his cell. His easy and predictable life was just getting too complicated - why did that stupid shrink have to come in and ruin everything? Annoyed, Troy pulled his pillow over his head and let himself drift off into oblivion, hoping that when he woke up, he'd be back to his normal self.

_Flashback_

_The hallways of the old high school were crowded with a bunch of people. Troy didn't know most of their names, but he knew that most of them - if not all - knew his. That was the best thing about being the most popular boy in school. Holding his head high, the blond boy walked down the hallway in a cloud of pride, imagining his life in twenty years; married to the hottest girl on the planet and swimming in money. Yeah, Troy was living the good life. And he knew that it was going to just keep on getting better. Well, after this damn Chemistry class, that was._

_Troy's good mood spoiled a bit as he came back down to Earth, entering the dreaded classroom with a frown on his striking features. There were only a few people there, most of them nerds, and Troy paid little attention to them, slouching into his seat at the back of the classroom and pretending to text someone. He hated all of the sciences, and wished that he could just pay someone to take pass his finals for him. If only…_

_The bell ringing cut short his musings on intimidating a computer geek until he peed his pants, and Troy flipped his textbook open to a random page, beginning to doodle in the margins._

"_Troy Bolton can draw?" came a familiar, laughing voice._

_Troy laughed and looked up at the bushy haired kid standing over him, rolling his eyes at the amused expression on his face._

"_Chad, you've known me since pre-school, of course I can't draw. I'm just bored."_

_A few of the science geeks looked up from their ridiculously big notebooks, eyes narrowed in disapproval._

"_Yeah, I agree with you, man." Chad sighed, sinking into the seat next to Troy, munching on a cookie. "This class is the pits."_

"_Some of us, you know, __like__ this class. Be quite, please." Said a nerd._

_The conversation ended, but the two jocks had to avoid looking at each other for fear of bursting into spontaneous laughter at the shocked expression of the nerd. It made for an interesting and memorable class._

_End of Flashback_

Troy woke with a start, blinking in the darkness of his cell. Heart thudding and breathing ragged, he sat up and rubbed a hand over his face, trying to shake the emotions of the dream. Truth be told, Troy missed those innocent days of youth when the worst thing that could happen was that a girl turned you down for a dance. Troy missed the days when he had people surrounding him, egging him on, supporting his decisions, and wanting to be him. Now, if he was honest with himself - really honest - Troy knew that no one wanted to be him. No one supported him or egged him on. He was a monster.

The thought rattled Troy. He had never stopped to consider what anyone else would think of him, it had never mattered. But now, in the course of seventy-two hours, Gabriella had managed to turn his world inside out an backwards until he could do nothing but see his life the way she did: a waste of time, stupid, selfish, and most of all, shameful. Troy knew that there was no going back from this realization. This time, he was going to have to stand up and really look at himself. And she had told him that the best way to start was through his best friend. Maybe he'd take her up on that advice. Troy reached for the envelope.

**AN: Sooo, Troy is starting to see the light! I hope this wasn't a boring chapter, I did my best to put enough humour to make you smile every once in a while! No worries, now that he's seen the light and is starting to understand just how far he's fallen, things will start to get exciting! Thanks for reading everyone! Also, for those of you that would care to know, I'm starting school for 2****nd**** semester tomorrow and will be focussing mostly on my schoolwork. Don't worry, I'm committed to this story and to you, my readers, but just be advised that my updates may be sporadic! Please bear with me!**


	6. A Flash From The Past

**AN: Thanks once again for everyone's patience, it's made me love you readers all the more! As well, thank you to those who wished me well in school, it's going quite nicely at the moment. This chapter is something that I wasn't planning on doing so early, but I decided that (with how the plot is going) it fits in here better than where I originally planned it. I'm telling all of you this because I don't know if it fits in completely - as in character development and such - so if it doesn't, please forgive me! That being said, please enjoy!**

A Flash From The Past

To say that Troy was surprised was an understatement. Even with the fuzzy dream a week ago and the encouraging words from Gabriella from their session the day before, Troy hadn't dreamed that Chad would actually show up on the day of their meeting. However, three guards entered his cell now, and Troy exited wearily, gripping the chains between his two arm restraints in his fingers, something to play with in sudden nerves.

_This is ridiculous._ He thought to himself, keeping his pace even and casual between two of the guards. _Why am I even doing this? Why am I bothering to care how Chad is doing and how much he's changed?_

But despite how stupid Troy knew the reason was for being excited, he couldn't bring himself to shake the feeling. The session with Gabriella had done nothing to help him find his old attitude back, something that was beginning to really scare Troy. He feared, late at night when everything was silent and he had nothing left to focus on but his thoughts, that he would never develop that hard skin ever again. And Troy knew deep down that without that 'skin', his career would destroy whatever soul and heart he had left. Why? Because deep down, Troy Bolton was not a killer. And he was starting to figure out the advantages of having a voice of reason, rather than running away from it.

The ensemble journeyed through various parts of the prison, but Troy didn't bother to keep track of where they were going, he didn't see a point. At this point, he was so heavily guarded that even if he managed to escape, he had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. No doubt, his old team-mates would have disposed o his personal belongings shortly after he had gotten caught; cleaning their hands of him.

Strangely, the thought didn't make him bitter, and Troy shook his head slightly, struggling to understand why he was changing so drastically. This couldn't all be from the shrink's words. She didn't have that much of an affect on him…did she?

"You're to sit here, keep your hands in plain view, and listen to the guard on duty if he tells you something."

Troy jumped at the guard's voice. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized that they had reached their destination; the visiting quarters. A large, open expanse spanned out in front him; large thickly plated glass windows on one side of the room and a thick cement wall on the other side. The wall with the glass was sectioned off into seven parts and each held a telephone receiver, a chair, and a bare, thick table. Guards stood behind every single cubby and were watching the convict's intently, their eyes trained to recognize the subtle signs of rebellion or anything of the sort.

Troy had never been to this part of the prison before, having never had a visitor in all of his years here, and was grateful for the instructions; not that he admitted it out loud.

"Your visitor will be along shortly. You've got half an hour and no more. If you have more things to say, you can schedule another meeting. Do you understand?" The guard continued, watching Troy carefully.

Troy put on a hard expression, feeling cornered and trapped, and then nodded, walking in small steps over to the chair that he had been assigned to. The metal was cold underneath him, and Troy squirmed back and forth, trying to get comfortable; a task that proved to be impossible. He was so distracted by the challenge of the chair, that he didn't even realize Chad had arrived until he heard a tap on the glass.

Troy glanced up and saw the very same Chad that he had grown up with, had shared his secrets with, had trusted with his life. The version standing in front of him now was identical to the one that he had known, save for a trimmed beard and shorter bushy hair style. His eyes, though, had not changed in the slightest. Troy was able to read the curiosity and worry in his former best friend's gaze.

Troy nodded to him and then picked up his end of the telephone, holding it to his ear. He heard the click as Chad did the same, but for a long minute, the only sounds were that of the buzzing and static between the lines. Then Chad cleared his throat.

"It's good to see you, man." He said quietly.

Just that simple phrase brought on a swell of memories. Troy blinked a few times, trying to focus on the here and now. This was much harder and more emotional than he had anticipated. Maybe he should have declined the invitation after all. Oh well, too late now.

"Really?" Troy asked.

Chad smiled a bit.

"Yeah, man, really."

There was a long minute of silence.

"How have you been?" Troy asked, holding the other man's gaze for a moment before dropping it to the table in front of him.

"I think I should be asking _you_ that question." Was all Chad replied.

"I'm sure you've heard all about me on the internet." Troy said quietly, hearing the hard edge to his own voice. "You were always one to do your research before you made a decision."

"You're right, Troy." Chad replied, his voice getting a little sadder but, determined. "I've heard a lot about you; mostly bad things. But I want to hear what _you_ have to say. I don't care what anyone else has to say about you. You're the one that I came here to talk to today."

Troy was stunned into silence. How the hell was he supposed to reply to that?

_Damn shrink!_ He thought viciously, uncertainty making him cranky. _I never should have let her get to me!_

A million thoughts were scrolling and whizzing around in Gabriella's head, professional ones about body language and what he was probably thinking at the current moment, but she ignored them all and just watched Troy talking through the glass. She was hidden behind a one-way mirror **(AN: Or is it called a 'two-way mirror'?)** and had been observing Troy since he had first entered the heavily guarded room. Professionally, she could tell that he was nervous and starting to regret the decision to meet Chad. She could also tell that he was angry - presumably with himself and with her - but now, fifteen minutes into their seemingly strong conversation, she could tell that both parties were enjoying themselves. She knew that she was supposed to go in and monitor what they were actually talking about; ensuring that it wouldn't damage Troy's 'fragile state', but Gabriella allowed them a few more minutes to themselves, watching both of their faces, and smiling at the comfort starting to show in both of them.

The visit would definitely have a lasting impact on Troy, Gabriella knew. She wasn't able to tell yet whether he would lash out at her because of the emotions that the meeting were surely awakening or if he would accept the change within himself and allow her to help him climb that ladder, but Gabriella was beginning to think that maybe - just maybe - he was starting to turn himself around.

The thought was completely destroyed when the unthinkable happened. Troy was in the middle of explaining something; something difficult for him to talk about judging by his facial expressions and body language, when he suddenly got furious even though Chad had been completely silent. The former star slammed the receiver onto the hook stood up and started pacing, his steps small due to his restraints. Immediately, all guards focused on him, ordering for him to sit down and behave. Gabriella pressed the intercom button on the edge of the glass and informed the guards to let him work it out, but still, Troy exploded like she had been fearing he would.

He whipped around and looked directly at her, even though he was glaring at his own reflection. Gabriella felt her heart speed up in fear though, none-the-less. This was the first time that she had felt scared by anything Troy had done.

"I know you're in there!" She heard him yell. "Look at me! Look at what you've done to me! I don't want your help, I don't want _anyone's_ help! Just leave me alone! You got that? Leave me alone!"

By that time, two guards were at his sides and were wrestling to get him out of the room. The other inmates were staring at him with shocked eyes, as were all of the people on the other edge of the glass and Gabriella winced as one of the guard began threatening to hit him with his baton.

Luckily, with the help of two additional guards, Troy was escorted from the visitation center and Gabriella sighed, exiting the observation room and walking over to the overturned chair that Troy had so recently vacated. Chat was still sitting with the phone up to his face, expression shocked and confused.

Gabriella picked up the phone and tapped on the glass to get his attention. Chad blinked a few times and then took in who was now in front of him. He started rambling.

"I don't know what happened! He was fine, just explaining how university had gone for him that first year - he was talking about his room-mate or something and then he just got all…angry! I didn't think that it would be hard for him to talk about or else I swear I wouldn't have asked, Gabriella. I hate seeing him hurt like this…"

Gabriella nodded, storing Chad's information in her head for her to ponder about later on.

"I know, Chad. It's not your fault. The past few weeks have been hard on him; he's not used to trusting anyone else but himself. I should have warned you that something like this might happen. Don't blame yourself, though, Chad, there was nothing that you could have done to stop it. I know this probably scared you, but please don't think that Troy is a horrible person, because he really isn't." Gabriella explained slowly. She was still able to hear Troy distressed screams from where she sat, but was grateful that the glass separating her and Chad was soundproof. That was the last thing that he needed to hear right now.

Chad nodded.

"I'll wait for you to give me the all clear, but when he's ready, do you think you could call me and let me know so I can arrange another meeting?"

Gabriella was silent for a moment, shocked at what he was hearing.

"You're still willing to meet with him?" She asked in shock. "Even after everything you just heard and saw?"

"Yeah. He's still the same guy that he was in high school, Gabriella. I guess we all are, kind of. He's really hurting, and I want to do whatever I can to help him."

Chad left a few minutes later and Gabriella walked slowly toward her office, her mind so muddled that she hadn't even realized she had walked past it until someone caught her attention and made a joke about it. Gabriella laughed weakly and then re-traced her steps back to her office, ordering herself to get herself together.

She knew what was supposed to happen next; talk to him about what had happened and why he thought it had happened. He would be angry, but she knew she had to do it before he pulled himself together again.

With a long, heavy sigh, Gabriella grabbed him file and journeyed down to his cell, only to return to her office a few minutes later when the guard on duty informed her that he had needed to be sedated upon slugging another guard in the face.

The task of helping Troy find himself was going to be a lot harder then she had bargained for.

**AN: So…what did you think? Again, thank you for your continued support! Happy weekend to all of you! Read and review, please, I love hearing what you think!**


	7. No Going Back

**AN: Hello my readers, thank you so much for being so patient, it means a lot to me. School is beginning to get busy so unfortunately, my updates will be spread out, but never fear, I haven't forgotten! Thank you all for being so kind about it! Anyway, moving on to the chapter. Just to warn you, this one's going to be quite a lot to process. I'm honestly not sure how this is going to go over with you guys, I'd really appreciate the feedback. Without further ado…enjoy!**

No Going Back

The looks on the faces of the executive team made Gabriella start to panic as soon as she entered the room. Immediately, she knew that something was very, very wrong. And she was pretty sure that she knew exactly what it was. She just hoped that, for once, she was wrong.

Her day had started out fine; breakfast with a friend and a leisurely morning spent window shopping and finally being successful at getting her job out of her mind.

Now, though, she sat in the uncomfortable chair at the board meeting table and tried not to display just how nervous she was. The fact of it was, though, she knew that she was in deep, deep trouble.

_ 24 hours earlier_

Gabriella rolled her shoulders back, relieving some of the tense muscles at the top of her neck. To say that her job was stressful was an understatement. She started walking toward her car that she had parked in her designated spot, humming and swinging her keys around on her pinkie finger, unaware of the chaos that was happening in the building.

She didn't hear the alarm bells, didn't hear the gunshots, didn't see the blood flowing, the lights flashing, or witness the life draining from the eyes of the guards guarding the cell. She didn't know just who was going to be waiting for her when she got home.

Gabriella slipped the key into the lock of her door and twisted it, jiggling the metal back and forth until she heard the lock click. Her mind already on the bottle of wine that she had been wanting all day, she entered her house and groped along the wall for the ever so elusive light switch.

A hand clamped over Gabriella's mouth and an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, dragging her into the front of her assailant. Gabriella froze.

"Don't scream. Please." A gruff voice breathed into her ear. It was the 'please' that informed her of who held her captive. She relaxed and gently freed herself, slapping the light on, before she turned around.

"Troy. You need to go back."

Immediately, his eyes filed with fear, and Gabriella wished she could take the words back. He must have known what she would say, but still, she felt as if she had betrayed him.

"They told me something today." He said, his voice empty of the usual anger. He ignored her crossed arm pose and without waiting for an invitation to do so, settled onto her couch, staring blankly ahead of him, into the dark night.

"Who told you what, Troy?" Gabriella sighed, walking over to shut the curtains.

"No! Please, I like to see the world."

The desperation in his voice, although foreign, put her at ease.

"Let's move to the back of the house then, it'll be safer."

Gabriella couldn't believe what she was doing - he was a fugitive, she should be calling 9-1-1 and threatening him with a broom or something, not helping him hide and have a heart-to-heart.

_This is good, he's talking._ She tried to reason with herself. _I'll take him back after he's told me everything_.

The two of them walked into a back room of the house, Gabriella leading the way and keeping a careful watch to make sure that Troy stayed behind her - at least she knew he was safe with her. She didn't doubt that the entire community was looking for him, and that they wouldn't be as kind to him as she was.

The light was better in the den and Gabriella gasped before she could help herself when she saw the state that Troy was in. Blood stained his jumpsuit a dark muddy colour and there were countless scrapes all over his face. However Troy had managed to escape the prison, there had been a fight. A fight that he had obviously won.

"Oh my God, you're bleeding." Gabriella observed, her heart pounding at the sight of blood running down his left temple. She wasn't so good with blood.

"It's nothing." Troy muttered, pacing like a wild animal in a cage. Normally, Gabriella would watch him carefully, but regardless of how much she told herself she was, Gabriella was _not_ in control of this situation.

"I'll be right back. Do. Not. Move."

Gabriella hurried to the bathroom, grabbed a bucket and a sponge, filling the bucket with warm water and then trotted back to the den, her heart thudding. Troy was still where she had left him, staring at her framed certificates on the wall.

"You're smart." He said, acknowledging her return.

Gabriella smiled despite herself and gestured for him to sit on the lounge chair. Troy looked warily at her but complied, his blue eyes alert and following her every move. Gabriella knelt down beside him and slowly began to dab at his face with the sponge, her movements gentle and deliberate. It was silent as she worked and she was acutely aware of every time Troy flinched. Her gaze darted to his eyes every few minutes but he stared straight ahead.

When she had finished, Gabriella poured the pink water down the drain and threw the sponge into the garbage, her mind spinning in dizzy circles. On her way back to the den, Gabriella circled into the kitchen, grabbed her bottle of wine and two glasses, chuckling at the surprised reaction on Troy's face when she returned.

"You drink?" He cried, accepting the wine from her.

"Of course I drink, Troy, look at what I do for a living!" She laughed.

Troy snorted and nodded, taking a large swig of the dark liquid and relaxing back into the lounge.

Gabriella settled onto the computer chair and placed her glass down on the table. She leaned forward and watched Troy attentively.

"Now, what did these people tell you?"

Troy seemed a million miles away and it took him a minute to register what she had said. Gabriella watched as his expression hardened and took on a bitter edge.

"Can I have a freebie?"

"A what?"

"One time that we're together and _I_ get to ask the questions?" Troy clarified.

"I'm the therapist…" She pointed out.

"Please?"

Gabriella sighed, took a drink, and nodded, sitting back and watching him curiously. What could he possibly want to know?"

"I remember who you are now."

"That's not a question." She pointed out with a smirk. Troy watched her, gauging her expression. She had to fight the urge not to smile - he had incredible eyes.

"From high school - I was thinking about it after the visit with Chad last week, and I think I can remember you now. You are geeky Gabriella, right?"

"Was." Gabriella corrected quietly, a flame of embarrassment coming to life in her stomach. "I _was_ geeky Gabriella. I'm not anymore."

It was quiet for a few moments.

"That's the only thing you wanted to ask me?" Gabriella asked in shock.

"No. There's one more thing." Troy stalled, taking another sip from his glass and letting his eyes roam around the room.

"Do you love me?"

Gabriella stared.

"I'm sorry?" She sputtered.

"You heard me." Troy murmured, holding her gaze and reading her expression. "Do you love me?"

"That's not really a question." She replied. "And completely irrelevant. We can't date."

"You didn't answer my question."

She hadn't, had she? Why couldn't she answer the question? She couldn't love him, she was his therapist for crying out loud! And he's was - is - a criminal, one of her patients. Her relationship with him was purely of a professional one, she was certain of that. But damn, he was attractive. No! Enough of this, she was being ridiculous. She wasn't in love with him, there was no way.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me." Troy ordered.

Gabriella dropped her eyes.

"You're confusing me." She hissed, raking her hands through her hair. "I want to see you do good things, Troy, I-I don't, I can't-"

She couldn't finish her statement. She couldn't say it. She couldn't say it because she realized now that she had been feeling the burning inside of her for quite a few weeks ago, a burning that she had never felt before. A burning that she instinctively knew meant love. She had been hiding from it all the time, but she knew now that there was no going back.

"You just figured it out." Troy whispered.

"Oh my God." Gabriella moaned. "This can't be happening to me."

"Am I really so bad?" Troy asked in a joking tone, but she heard the hurt in it. Gabriella looked up at him. Was he bad? Was he really?

"I don't know anymore." She whispered honestly. "Stop distracting me."

"I'm just sitting here…" he pointed out.

Damn it, he was. She was constantly aware of his presence, aware of the way he sat, the rate at which he breathed, blinked, the way his smile started slowly and then crept up his face, the way- oh shit, this wasn't good.

"I need to get you back." She said abruptly, standing up and spinning to find her car keys.

Troy caught her arm and she breathed in sharply at the tingling that was a result. He stood up beside her and held onto her other arm too, keeping her from moving.

"Please."

"Troy, I have to take you back, you can't stay here."

"Just give me the night and then I swear I'll turn myself in first thing tomorrow morning."

Gabriella shook her head.

"Please!" He begged. Gabriella's heart thudded painfully at the pain in his voice.

"What are you so afraid of, Troy? What did they tell you?"

Troy shook his head fiercely and gripped her tighter.

"Just give me one more night of freedom. You can handcuff me to the rail outside if you don't trust me . Just let me have tonight."

"I trust you." She said before she could help herself.

Troy released her, and stepped back. Gabriella felt a little disappointed at his moving away and then slapped herself mentally. No, she couldn't feel this way.

"Why do you keep fighting it?" He asked hoarsely, proving to her that he could figure out her expression much better than she had given him credit for. "Why do you keep holding yourself back? Why is it so hard for you to tell me that you love me?"

"Because I _can't_ love you, Troy. I can't. I'm not allowed to love you."

"Forget the law, forget the _world_." He reasoned. "This is about us."

"What us?" Gabriella cried, tears creeping into her eyes. "Troy, you're a criminal and I'm your therapist, there _is_ no us."

Before she could add anything else, Troy grabbed her by the shoulders, pulled her to his chest, and kissed her. Gabriella had never felt anything like it. The tingling from his hands on her shoulders travelled throughout her entire body and she had to fight to keep her head rational, had to fight to keep herself from letting go.

"What do you call _that_?" Troy asked when he released her.

"I-I-I call that…damn it! Stop staring at me!"

She pulled herself from his grip, ignoring the longing, and turned her back to him, heart pounding in excitement. This was crazy. Absolutely crazy.

"Gabriella…"

It registered that it was the first time he had called her by name. She bit her lip but didn't turn around. It wasn't long before she sensed him directly behind her, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders, feeling around and releasing the tension in the muscles of the back of her neck.

"Just relax. Just for tonight." He whispered. She debated, struggling with a million emotions. She knew that she had never wanted anyone more than she wanted him now, but she also knew that this couldn't happen, she was already breaking enough laws as it was. Still, she made no move to pull away from him.

His fingers moved to her hair, untangling the dark curls, pulling her locks from the clip and letting it fall down her back. She was losing the battle against her mind. She needed to tell him to stop.

"Just for tonight." He repeated. She had to say it. Now.

"Troy, you-"

"Shhhhhh." He murmured into her ear, turning her around and pulling her into a hug. "Forget about everything. Just focus on yourself. What do _you_ want, Gabriella?"

He rubbed slow circles onto her back. The battle was lost.

"You…" She sighed, holding onto him tightly, trembling so hard that her teeth rattled. "I want you."

They kissed tenderly at first, gentle and unfamiliar. Gabriella clutched him tightly, gripping the orange material between her fingers and struggling to keep up with the magnitude of what she was feeling. Soon, the kisses became more frantic, more desperate and more real.

Troy stroked her hair back from her face and kissed the tip of her nose. Gabriella stood up on her toes and kissed him again, fiercely. Troy smiled and carefully lifted her into his arms, the two of them gasping at the contact.

When he put her down on her feet again, Gabriella could barely form a coherent thought. He was staring at her, his desire filled eyes a mirror of her own. Without a word, she grabbed his hand and led him through the house until she got to the bedroom. Once there, he kissed her again, his lips moving down her body and taking her clothes with them.

She couldn't believe this was happening.

They fell onto the bed and Gabriella timidly pulled at his clothing, her fingers hesitant and shy.

Troy full out laughed and helped the process, his eyes sparkling in humour. Gabriella blushed but said nothing, relishing at the ripples of pleasure pulsing through her.

"Troy…" She whimpered, capturing his lips once more. He moaned and pushed her down onto her back, holding himself over and kissing her so lovingly that she thought she was going to burst. She pulled him down onto her and gasped in pleasure when he entered her. It wasn't long before she was rising to meet him, no longer hesitant or shy. She knew this was what she wanted now, and that there was no going back.

**AN: This is my first time writing a sex scene. Ever. I hope it was alright. I realize that there was no mention of them having feelings for each other in the previous chapters, and that this may seem out of place, but never fear - all shall be revealed! Anyway, hope this chapter made up for my absence! The continuation of what is happening in the board meeting will be the next chapter. Please read and review! PLEASE!**


	8. Court of Law

**AN: Thank you, everyone, for your supportive comments, I really appreciate it! It's so good to know that you all understand the perfection of a good mystery - I'm glad that you do. I'll do my best to keep my updates going, but I honestly am not sure how it'll work out. Sorry in advance, guys. Anyways, enjoy!**

Court of Law

The next morning, Gabriella had a hard time opening her eyes. Early morning sunlight filtered in through the window and burned the inside of her eyelids red, but she just rolled over and snuggled into Troy's chest, a smile on her lips.

Waiting to drift off again, she reached her hand up and tangled her fingers in his hair, replaying the events from the night before. She had never experienced anything so wonderful: he had been gentle with her, had asked her several times if she was okay. The entire experience had been the best of her life and she knew now, that they had a wicked connection.

Troy planted a lazy kiss on her lips and she returned it eagerly. They explored each other's mouths and bodies for a few minutes and then relaxed once more, each sighing contentedly.

Gabriella could hardly believe the past 24 hours, and was entirely confused about her feelings for the man beside her. She barely knew him, they were practically strangers, but she had a connection with him that made her feel as if she had known him forever. She had seen a soft side of him: a vulnerable side of him, and she had a feeling he didn't let many people see it. That had to mean something, right?

"You're so beautiful." Troy whispered into her ear, bringing her out of her thoughts. Gabriella giggled and kissed him in response, hardly believing how much she craved his touch now. He tickled her for a few seconds before pulling her on top of him, eliciting a squeal from Gabriella.

Troy sat up and now Gabriella sat in his lap, her arms looped around his neck. He kissed her gently and slowly, causing her to melt in happiness. Things heated up quickly, however, and they made love a few times, murmuring nonsense into each other's ears. They didn't talk, but both of them knew that their time together was very close to running out.

She had just drifted off to sleep again when she felt his heartbeat quicken, and he gently pushed her aside before sitting up. She opened her eyes and sat up beside him, reading his expression: he had heard something.

A knock on the door made them both jump and Troy would have leapt out of bed in a rush if Gabriella hadn't stopped him.

"Stay here. Don't move, okay?"

She hunted around for her robe and tied it on, quickly hurrying out to the front door. The front step was covered in cops with serious expressions and Gabriella had to force herself not to shriek at Troy to run. The fear must have shown on her face.

"I'm sorry to alarm you, Gabriella, but there's been a bit of trouble at the prison." Said a somewhat familiar man on the door-step. Was his name Paul? No, Pablo, like the painter.

"Oh, do you need me?" She asked in what she hoped was a normal voice.

"No, I just want your permission to look around the house."

"What?" She asked sharply. "Why?"

_No, this cannot happen_.

"There was an escape last night by one of the prisoners; Bolton. Do you know him?"

Gabriella forced herself to wait a second before she answered him.

"Bolton…Troy? Yes, I know him. He's been a patient of mine for almost four months, now. He escaped? That's horrible! Was anyone hurt?"

"Two guards were killed. He was very angry and I'm afraid that he's going to go after you in revenge."

Gabriella's stomach twisted. He'd killed two guards?

"I appreciate your concern, Pablo, but I can handle myself. I'll get in contact if I see him or think he's near. I'm heading to work in a few hours anyway."

"Right. Sorry to wake you. An officer will circle your house every half hour just to ensure that he hasn't been hiding outside, alright?"

"Okay, thank you, officer."

Gabriella ran back to her room and skidded to a stop when she saw the room empty. Her discarded clothes still sat on the floor, but his suit was gone. Terror gripped her and she ran from room to room, hissing his name. The door to the basement was open and Gabriella flew down the stairs, squinting in the dim light.

"Over here." she heard him whisper.

She felt along the wall and groped desperately, sighing in relief when he reached out and guided her over to him.

"I'm going to go turn myself in - I've caused too much trouble already. I shouldn't have come in the first place."

"Do you regret coming? Do you regret…last night?"

Troy looked down at her, his expression tender.

"No. And I never will."

"At least stay for breakfast."

He hesitated, his brow wrinkling as he sorted through something in his head. She waited patiently.

"Do you have bacon?"

Gabriella put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and then sighed, fighting the urge to ask him to stay. She knew they had run out of time. Glancing at the clock, Gabriella saw it was just after 7 now - she had to go to work at 9. She had breakfast plans as well, she remembered now.

"I have to go." Troy said from behind her.

Gabriella nodded and turned around. She knew.

"But I guess I'll see you soon, right?" He asked jokingly.

She laughed.

"Yeah."

It was quiet for a moment.

"We need to talk about last night, though, Troy."

"What about last night?"

"Last night was amazing, no doubt, but…well, we hardly know each other. I'm still struggling to get my head around the fact that we slept together. What I feel for you…it's something that I need to get used to before this happens again. I want to make sure that we feel the same way."

Troy nodded slowly.

"I understand. Answer one question for me, though. Do you love me?"

Gabriella giggled but then became serious.

"I've never been in love before, Troy. But what I feel for you is really strong. It was so strong that I overlooked the fact that this was illegal. If we get caught…God, if someone finds out, Troy, we'll both be finished."

"Illegal? We're both adults."

"Yes, but I'm your therapist. I have rules to follow just like anyone else. It doesn't matter if it was consensual. The court would look at it like a teacher sleeping with a student. It's wrong in their eyes."

"And what about in your eyes?" Troy whispered.

"It was…amazing. Perfect." She replied.

"But it can't happen again, right?"

Gabriella swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I wish it could, Troy."

Troy kissed her sweetly, and when Gabriella opened her eyes again, he was gone.

_Present Day_

Twelve sets of eyes watched her with blank expressions as she set her clipboard down and then hid her shaking hands in her lap. She was terrified.

"We've had quite the exciting night." One of them started. She was so nervous that she couldn't remember what his name was.

"So I heard." Gabriella replied, making eye contact. _Keep your cool. They can't possibly know about Troy._ "Has he turned himself in yet?"

"How do you know he turned himself in?" The man asked with a shocked expression.

_Shit, shit, shit! _

"Well…I just assumed he would eventually. I've been working closely with him and I'd hoped that maybe he was starting to make a turn for the better. Maybe I was wrong." She covered.

"He turned himself in at 7:45 this morning, as it happens."

"Oh! Well, that's good then, isn't it? Any damage done?" She asked, relaxing a bit.

"Enough." muttered a man on her left.

"Gabriella, you're not going to like this, but the board's reached a decision."

The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Gabriella reached for her clipboard and poised her pen at the ready, waiting to jot down whatever treatment they had in store for Troy. She just hoped it didn't involve moving him to another prison.

"Bolton's been a handful as you will recall, what with his record, blowing up the way he did at the meeting last week, and now escaping and killing two innocent men in the process. Something's got to be done to control him, Gabriella."

"I've been working with him - his temper seems to be getting better and I really think he's made some major progress." She replied truthfully, wishing she had brought his file with her notes on their meetings along. "If I can just have a few more months, I'm sure-"

"We've already sentenced him, Gabriella, we're going to move him today."

Gabriella's heart sunk and she nodded.

"Which prison?"

All eyes turned to her.

"You've misunderstood, Gabriella. We've decided to sentence him…permanently. There's nothing left for us to do - he's had too many chances and we can't take the risk of him hurting any more men. His time is up."

"Sentence him, permanently?" Gabriella repeated, glancing up from her notes. "Wait…" Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth went dry. "When you say he's been sentenced permanently-"

The man cut in, obviously fed up with her stupidity.

"He has a month left to live. Bolton's been moved to Death Row and is sentenced to death."

**AN: I have nothing to say, but I'm sure you do. Let me know what your thoughts are!**


	9. Plan of Action

**AN: Alright, so, is it safe to come out of my hole? Are you guys going to cut my head off in rage over Troy's conviction? Yes? Okay, well, I'll go back into hiding then. But first, here's the chapter for you all. I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all of you lovely fans, and I want you to know that even though I don't reply to reviews usually (unless someone asks a question) I read every single one of them and I really appreciate the comments. You guys mean so much to me, and I want to make sure that you know that! Anyway, enough with the sappy stuff! Here you go!**

Plan of Action

Gabriella couldn't breathe. A rushing filled her ears and it clicked into place what Troy had said to her the night before, she realized why he had been so upset when he came to her, why he kept evading her questions, and why he had been so desperate to escape the prison:

"_They told me something today." _

She tried to keep calm, but her head was throbbing. She looked from face to face and tried to find any scrap of sympathy that she could pick at and help reverse the order. There was none.

"There has to be something that we can do before we get to this stage." She said hoarsely. "He's a good person deep down, just give me time to prove it to you!"

"It's not up for negotiation, Gabriella, I'm sorry. I know you had your hopes set on turning him around, but the truth of it is, he's not a person that has enough good in him to be saved."

_But he is!_ She wanted to yell. _You need to know the real him!_

She sat there in desperation. This couldn't happen - not now - not when she had just found real love. Why was this happening to her? What had she done that was making her pay to this extent?

"Just give me some time." She pleaded.

"I'm sorry, the date's been set ."

The rest of the day was spent in a funk. She drifted from meeting to meeting , signed forms in a daze, and struggled to keep from bursting into tears whenever the thought of Troy's fate came to mind. She wasn't scheduled to see him until two days time and she knew she would only draw attention to herself if she moved it up any closer. She would have to act as normal as possible and try not to show her preference towards Troy.

The good thing was that this was her first patient to ever be put on Death Row. She'd had convicts before that had started off on Death Row, but with her help, managed to manoeuvre back into the normal prison population, minimum security prisons, and sometimes even parole. The fact that this was her first failure proved to be a good cover for her distracted attitude for the next few days, but she knew she'd have to be careful from now on.

She spent the nights tossing and turning, plagued with nightmares in which she was racing down the hallways of the prison, only to find Troy dead in his cell, blood pooling around him, his accusing voice ringing out as she stood there screaming: "You couldn't save me". Now more than ever, she longed to be able to just call him up on the telephone and let everything out. She knew she wouldn't be able to speak freely with him in the prison, however, there were guards and too many security cameras. She did have an idea however, and fortunately, due to his new status, it would be easier to put it into action without causing suspicion.

The day that she was supposed to meet Troy, she put in the request and hoped that it would be granted. If not, she had no idea how to talk to him freely. The morning passed by in a blur of meetings, paperwork, and pacing the floor of her office, trying hard not to think about how she would be a month from now. The thought caused her blood to run cold professionally and personally. The passing of the hours was torture, it was too slow, but then it was also too fast. More than ever, Gabriella just wanted things to go back to how they had been just three days ago.

The emotions scared her: there was no denying it, but she knew now, after many thoughtful hours spent on the subject, that she was in love with Troy. The events that had passed between them still took her by surprise, but she knew now that no matter how strange and unfamiliar they had been, the two of them had a connection that went far beyond professionalism and even friendship. Regardless of the fact that they barely knew each other and that Gabriella herself hadn't realized that she had harboured any feelings for him until he had asked her directly, regardless of the fact that Troy had always treated her cruelly and with absolutely no sense of civility let alone affection. But still, what they had was love.

And now it was Gabriella's job to save him before he disappeared from her forever. And she had no idea what she was going to do.

The clock moved forward and soon Gabriella knew that it was time to go face the music. She had no idea how Troy would react to her appearance, but as she strode down the corridor with the request acceptance letter clutched in her hand, she lectured herself into making sure that she remained professional. Their kiss in the kitchen needed to be the last one that shared - as much as the thought hurt her - and she needed to look at this purely from a professional point of view, otherwise all was lost.

Those stern thoughts were blown from her mind completely as soon as the door slid open to Troy's cell. The instant that she caught sight of him slumped on the narrow cot, her mind was wrenched back their time together: the laughter, the quiet conversations, the kisses, everything. And Gabriella realized, no matter how hard she tried, there was no way she could detach herself from the situation. There was no way for her to deny the thrum of affection that she felt for him.

Her eyes snapped down to her sheet of paper and she cleared her throat, perching on the same stool that she sat on every meeting. Troy glanced up quickly at her, and Gabriella saw that he looked as bitter as he always did. At least he was a better actor than she was.

"We're going on a field trip today, Troy." She said slowly.

"Where to?" He growled, with an eye roll.

"Come on, you need to put those pretty bracelets on." Gabriella said sweetly, and then exited the cell on shaking legs, waiting outside while the guards restrained him.

Then, hardly believing the fact that her request had been granted, the two of them were escorted out to her car, threats made for Troy to behave himself, and then they were in the car and driving out of the prison gates, alone. A guard would meet them at the park, of course, but for the time being, they were safe to talk.

"How in the hell are you allowed to do this?" Troy asked, his blue eyes wide with surprise.

"Considering the circumstances, I was able to pull some strings. It's the only way we could talk freely."

Troy's eyes darkened.

"So you found out, then." He whispered.

"Yeah." She replied, just as quietly, making a turn onto the main road. "God, Troy, you have to know that I'm going to fight for you - for us - even though there's not much I can do, okay?"

Troy nodded, turning his gaze to the window. Gabriella sensed that he was upset and rested one of her hands on his knee, making sure to keep her motions hidden from view from anyone outside. No one was following her, but she needed to be as careful as possible.

"Where are we going?" Troy asked after a moment. He had moved his handcuffed hands to cover her fingers, and Gabriella was happy to stay the way they were.

"I picked the farthest park from the prison that I could find." She laughed. "It's about an hour's drive. But someone will meet us there, so the only time we can talk is right now."

"It's time enough." Troy replied with a nod. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do."

They were silent for a few minutes and Gabriella struggled to keep her attention on the road, but it was hard with Troy tracing patterns onto her palm with his fingers. She caught his fingers and gripped them tightly.

"I keep thinking about the other night." Troy said quietly, a smile in his voice.

"Me too." Gabriella admitted.

"I wish it could happen again…I've never felt this way before, it's driving me crazy."

"You don't choose who you love." Gabriella agreed with a nod.

"No, you don't." Troy sighed.

Troy fought to keep his urges under control, forcing himself to be content with the fact that he could hold her hand. It was hard on him to be this close to her, but not be allowed to do anything else. It was also hard because he knew that she wanted to be with him too.

"We're here." The brunette said quietly, pulling the car into the parking lot of a large field. She pulled her hand from his grip and Troy squeezed his hands together in order to keep himself from reaching for her again. God, this was hard. Gabriella pulled into a parking spot and snuck a look at him under her eyelashes. He saw the lust in her eyes and he sighed quietly.

"We both have to be on our best behaviour now, Troy." She murmured quietly her lips barely moving. "We _cannot_ get caught, okay?"

Troy put a scowl on his face and rolled his eyes. She give a half smile and nodded slightly, understanding his answer.

They got out of the car and walked a few paces to where one of the guards was waiting by the fountain. The day was bright and cheery and the three of them strolled along a gravel path, the security guard in between him and the girl of his dreams.

Seeing her when she had entered the cell this morning had been one of the hardest moments in all of his life. And he'd had some pretty tough moments. Seeing her again had alerted every one of his senses and for the first time in his life, had had wished that he had chosen a career path other than a criminal. It was the first time the thought had even entered his head, but now, as they walked in silence, he explored the idea - thinking about what he would have been doing if it that one night at the party hadn't have happened. Damn, how had things gotten this messed up?

They found a bench that was in the shade and he sat down, relieved when Gabriella settled a safe distance from him and the guard wandered off a few feet, keeping a close eye on them. His mask of utter boredom was on, and he hoped that it was believable.

"Do you like parks, Troy?" Gabriella asked, flipping open his file on her lap and poising a pencil at the ready. She looked so cute, her expression all smart and concentrated, but he caught the fear underneath it all. Right. Focus.

"No." He snarled. "I hate kids in general."

Gabriella scribbled.

"And why is that?"

Troy couldn't focus. Memories from his college life were pulling him under, voices were taunting him, teasing him about how far he had fallen. It was too much for him to handle. He let out a wordless yell and stood up, pacing wildly. He could feel Gabriella's eyes on him. He turned to look at her shocked expression.

"Why did this happen to me?" Troy yelled at her, stomping back to the bench again. "Why is my life so fucking screwed up? I don't want to die, do you hear me? I don't want to die! I just want to go back!"

Panting, Troy sat down and put his head between his knees, shaking.

"You want to back." Gabriella repeated in a gentle voice. "Where do you want to go back to, Troy? Your past?"

"Yes." He murmured. "Before everything went wrong."

"What happened, Troy? How did you get the way that you are today?" She asked in an even quieter voice.

The birds chirped in the background as Troy lifted his head and looked Gabriella in the eye, his expression neutral. Gabriella fiddled with her pencil, but held his gaze, genuinely curious.

"It's a long story."

"I'd like to hear it." She said with an encouraging nod.

And so he told her.

**AN: Cliffhanger for you guys! Do any of you have theories about what might have happened to Troy? If so, I'd love to hear them! **


	10. Time Machine

**AN: Once again, my lovely readers, thank you for your feedback on the chapters! I loved all of your comments and they made me smile when I read them! I loved all of your theories about Troy's bad experience in college! My updates should (hopefully) get to be a little bit more regular now, but don't hold it against me if they aren't. And thanks for being patient with me in the past. I'm sure you will be patient with me in the future too. You guys rock! Anyways, here you go, I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! And I hope no one finds it too disturbing or graphic, I did my best!**

Time Machine

Troy was shaking so hard that his teeth were starting to chatter. This wasn't good, he hadn't even started his tale yet. Suddenly he was regretting agreeing to tell Gabriella about the past that he had been trying so hard to forget about. Troy clenched his hands together and focussed on the shiny silver of the handcuffs, keeping his eyes trained on that as he started to slowly and quietly tell her how everything had gotten so twisted and out of control.

_ Flashback _

_It was your typical frat party: kegs littered every available space in the house and on the lawn around the back, and a lot of people were completely drunk even though it was only seven in the evening. The night was still young and a handful of people were still sober enough to be dancing to the pulsating music screaming from the speakers in the common room._

_Troy entered the house with his dorm friends and thrust his hands into his pockets, a smile lighting up his handsome features. This was going to be a party to remember, there was no doubt about that. The crew of them weaved their way through the crowd of drunk teenagers and couples plastered to each other, searching for the closest source of alcohol. Troy wasn't much of a drinker, but he had to admit, it took the edge off of a rough week._

_A half an hour later, Troy was leaning against the wall and doing his best not to laugh at this best friend's attempts at picking up girls. Not only was Chad completely plastered, he was also horrible at flirting with any girl, even the ones that thought he was cute in the first place. Troy watched as the two girls raised their eyebrows and then giggled, walking away even though Chad was still in the middle of explaining just how sexy they both looked._

_Chad frowned and stumbled over to Troy, his expression genuinely confused. Troy grinned and clapped his friend on the back, offering him a bottle of water. Chad refused and reached for another beer. Troy shrugged - he'd have one hell of a hangover if he kept this up._

"_Hey, Troy, can I talk to you for a minute?"_

_Troy glanced around at the unfamiliar voice and nodded in agreement to the petite blonde that was beckoning to him. Chad's jaw dropped and Troy realized after a second that it was one of the girls that he had just been trying to pick up. Troy patted his friend on the shoulder and yelled that he'd be right back, following the attractive girl down the hallway without much thought as to just what she had in mind._

_No sooner had he followed her into what looked to be a den of sorts, she pulled her t-shirt off over her head and gave him a look that made Troy wish he had stayed with Chad. Immediately he started back toward the door, trying to form an excuse in his head, but the predatory look on her face was making him start to feel nervous and his thoughts were scattered._

"_Um…" He got out, eyes darting around the room looking anywhere but at her._

"_You know you want this, Troy." She crooned, stepping a few paces closer to him. _

_Troy scrabbled backwards, his mind telling him that he was being stupid: this was a hot girl that obviously wanted to sleep with him, why was he acting like such a little kid? However, as soon as he thought that, another rational thought countered it. Truth be told, Troy still hadn't 'done the deed' contrary to what a lot of people in his university thought about him. Sure, he had dated countless girls in high school, but had never felt comfortable going that far, and this was certainly not the time, place, or person to change that. _

_Troy felt behind him for the doorknob, but with a mental curse, he realized that he was too far to the right and needed to move over in order to escape. The girl, whose name he still didn't know, continued to pace closer to him, completely unclothed now. Troy's heart was hammering and for a moment, he considered yelling out for help, but realized that no one would hear him. Even down the hall, the music was still so loud that the floor beneath them pulsed and Troy could barely hear the girl's comments._

"_Actually, I'm just going to go." Troy finally got out, turning to find the door. She grabbed him by the back of the shirt, however, and when he turned around to free himself from her surprisingly strong grip, she pressed herself up against him and kissed him fiercely._

_Troy was so surprised that he froze for a moment. It was only a split second in which his mind and body disagreed at the contact, but sometimes it only takes a moment. The next thing Troy knew, they were slouched on the couch and she was kissing him over and over again, fumbling with his clothes and seeming to get frustrated by the fact that he wasn't being helpful._

_Realizing he was losing control of himself, Troy broke the kiss and grabbed her arms, trying to free himself, but she was crouched over him and her weight, although tiny, was enough to keep him from squirming away._

"_Hey! Quit struggling, jock!" She hissed, kissing him again. "You are going to do this!"_

_Again, Troy lost a moment, as his body yelled at him to stop fighting and go with her, but this time, he came to before much time had passed. They were half lying down on the couch and she had succeeded in taking off his clothes and was now kissing him again and again, trying her best to seduce him. His mind might not want this, but his body sure did, and it was beginning to work. Troy felt sick._

"_No! Stop it." He yelled fighting against her. She just laughed at him._

"_Relax and enjoy." She crooned in his ear, wrapping her arms around him and making it impossible for him to go anywhere._

"_This isn't consensual." He replied angrily with only the slightest tremor of fear in his voice. "Get off of me!"_

"_Oh please, Troy, like anyone will believe that." She replied._

_Troy was so stunned at her comment that he couldn't even think of anything to counter it. It didn't matter anyway, however. She was kissing him again, and had him trapped on the corner of the couch. He had nowhere to run and she knew what she was doing. Troy struggled with her, but it wasn't long before he was literally forced into agreement and tears of hatred and helplessness glittered in his bright eyes as she kept him where she wanted him until there was nothing left for her to take._

_Many hours passed before anyone found him. Troy lost all track of time as he lay curled in a ball on the couch, emotions deadened and thoughts at a standstill. Bile gurgled in his stomach, but he didn't have the energy to get it out, and tried to make himself disappear into the fabric._

"_Troy! Troy, man, are you alright?"_

_Troy came to at the sound of Chad's worried voice. His mind wasn't functioning properly but he got out one phrase._

"_I didn't want to, I said no."_

_Chad didn't even bother to ask what he was talking about, just tossed Troy the clothes that were discarded on the floor and told him to get dressed. Then Chad went and stood by the door, his back to Troy._

_It took Troy a long time to get ready, but by the time he was, anger was thrumming through his veins making it hard for him to see straight. Troy spilled out the whole story to Chad as they made their way back to the residence, and with every step he took, Troy's anger got higher and higher._

"_I'll be there in a second." Troy muttered when they got to the building._

"_Troy, man, don't!" Chad yelled, but Troy was already gone, jogging back to the party, his sight tinted red._

_She was sprawled on a couch with empty beer bottles surrounding her, and Troy stood in front of her, eyes narrowed._

"_Get up." He hissed._

_She glanced at him and then broke out into drunken laughter. He grabbed her by the arm and led her out to the deck. She stumbled a few steps away from him, but then tried to grab his arm._

"_Hey, sexy." She slurred._

_Troy hit her backwards._

"_I said NO." He yelled. "You forced me, and we both know that."_

_She just laughed and winked at him._

"_Sure, Troy."_

_Fury boiled over and he shoved her hard against the front of her shoulders. She stumbled back in shock and Troy watched in horror as she flipped right over the railing of the deck and spiralled to the cement two stories below. She hit was a sickening crunch and Troy's jaw dropped as he realized what had just happened._

_Oh shit._

_End of Flashback_

It was completely silent for a long time after Troy had finished talking. He was still staring at his hands but he listened anxiously to Gabriella's breathing, praying that she would believe him. Troy glanced up and watched people walking by, but refused to turn his head in her direction. He was ashamed and regretted telling her the story, realizing how weak it made him look.

"Oh, Troy." She breathed finally.

His eyes darted to her and she was staring at him with heartbroken eyes, her hands clenching the papers filled with her neat writing. He said nothing and dropped his gaze to the soil beneath them, ordering himself not to cry.

"And you're telling the truth?" She asked quietly.

"YES!" He yelled, angrily.

His voice was so sharp that the guard hurried over to them, ignoring Gabriella's shaking of the head.

"Everything okay, miss?" He asked her, his eyes trained on Troy in a cold manor.

"It's fine. We're just talking." She assured him.

The guard left again, but hovered close to them, his eyes never leaving Troy's face for the remainder of the session.

That night, Gabriella walked up her front steps with a heavy heart, her mind still reeling from everything that she had learned. She knew that it would be another sleepless night filled with tossing and turning, but she pushed the thought aside and focussed on getting into her house before she collapsed into tears.

A hand landed on her shoulder as soon as the door closed behind her but Gabriella didn't scream this time. She knew who it was.

"Troy, you need to stop doing this." She said quietly.

"I need to know what you think of me." He whispered, his hands encircling her waist from behind and bringing her up against his front. "You didn't say much after I told you everything."

"I couldn't Troy, it was too dangerous."

"Can you tell me now?" He asked in such a quiet voice and Gabriella spun around, slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

"I think you are extremely brave for telling me that." She said a few minutes later. "and it doesn't change how I look at you, if that's what you are worried about."

Troy nodded and searched her eyes.

"I can't stay long, I want to get back before anyone realizes I'm gone."

"How _do_ you get out, Troy? Surely someone knows you're gone now…"

Troy just smiled.

"I have my ways."

He kissed her then and she clung to him, trying to forget about everything and just focus on him for the present moment. The kiss ended too soon, however and she sighed, resting her head on his chest.

"I hate that she took that from you." She whispered.

Troy just stroked her back and said nothing. She sniffled a bit and hugged him as tightly as she could, knowing he would be gone within a few minutes. She wanted to live in this moment for as long as she could.

"I'm going to save you, Troy." she said suddenly. "I'm going to do something - anything - to save you from this. It wasn't even your fault."

"Shhh, Gabi." He whispered in her ear. "Just relax for a moment."

She shut her mouth and snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and listening to his heartbeat. One of her hands snuck up and stroked his cheek, feeing the silent teardrops trickling down into her hair.

She didn't try to stop them because she knew that he wasn't with her at this moment, but reliving that terrible night and trying his best to get over it. All she could do was hold him, let him know that she was there. And hold him, she did.

It was a long time before he stopped crying.

**AN: Alright, I'm not going to lie, I teared up a little. What did you all think? Was it different than you thought it was? Let me know! Thanks for reading you guys!**


	11. Friends in High Places

**AN: I loved hearing all of your feedback, thanks so much for that, guys! The development of Gabriella's case to save Troy is going to be the focus on this chapter, hope you guys don't mind the sidetrack from the Troyella fluff! Never fear though, it'll be back, of course! Enjoy!**

Friends in High Places

Gabriella tapped the side of her coffee mug anxiously as she waited in the corner of the café that she had agreed to meet them at. Glancing at her watch, she saw that they were a few minutes late, but she comforted herself with the reminder that it was rush hour, and that they might have had a hard time getting a parking spot. She eased the tension in her shoulders and took a long sip of coffee to calm her nerves as best as she could.

Her mind wandered to the most recent visit that Troy had paid her last week on the day of his revelation. A small smile graced her lips as she pondered again over the fact that he had been able to escape and re-enter his cell the same night without anyone noticing. Sure enough when Gabriella had gone into work the next day, no one had even realized he had left. She was sure that he must have someone working with him from the inside in order to disable the cameras and distract the guards; there was no way that he could do it on his own. She just hoped he was careful in what he told the inside friend.

The tinkling of the bell over the door of the coffee shop brought Gabriella's mind out of the clouds and she straightened up as she saw the familiar faces enter the shop, glancing around for her. Gabriella waved her arm and beckoned them over with what she hoped was a casual smile. Her butterflies returned full force and she put down her coffee mug before she spilled the contents everywhere in anticipation.

The couple sat down and for a moment no one spoke, waiting for the waitress to come and take their orders. When she had come and gone again, Gabriella decided that it was time to get things underway.

"Thanks for coming, you two, I know I sounded pretty mysterious on the phone." She said in a slightly higher pitch than normal.

"I've heard that you've had quite a turn for events lately, girl." Taylor said with a sympathetic smile. "It must be hard seeing Troy again, especially seeing what he's become."

Gabriella forced a smile. She wanted to tell Taylor everything about just how hard it was to see what was happening with Troy, but she knew that she couldn't involve another person, it wouldn't be fair.

"Yeah, it's been an eye-opener." She said quietly, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug."

"Has he opened up any since I visited last?" Chad asked, his eyes holding Gabriella's gaze.

"Yeah, actually. He's opened up a lot. He's not…._quite_ so moody anymore." Gabriella replied with a smile.

Chad laughed.

"It's going to take a lot to break him down. I mean, when I was talking to him, he relaxed, but he was still stand off-ish."

_Not as hard as you'd think._ Gabriella thought to herself.

"It's a work in progress."

"So, why _did_ you call us to meet us here, Gabi?" Taylor asked hesitantly. "Is everything alright?"

"I-I was wondering if you'd be able to help me with something. I really need some help with something that I'm working on." Gabriella said, aware that her sentence was cryptic. "But I need you to promise - really promise - that you won't tell anyone. What I need to tell you is something that I'm not supposed to tell anyone outside of confidence."

"So why do you want to tell us?" Chad asked.

"Because, professionally, I think Tay might be able to help, and I need you too, Chad, because you know Troy's history better than I do."

It was silent for a long minute. Gabriella sipped her coffee and fiddled with a ring on her thumb while she waited for them to think it over.

"If you're asking for our help, it must be a worthwhile cause, Gabs." Taylor said slowly. "I'm in."

"Ditto." Chad echoed. "I want to help Troy in whatever way I can."

Gabriella took a deep breath and then gazed around to ensure that no one was listening in on their conversation. Then, she told them about what Troy had told her the other day in the park, watching Chad's reaction as she did so. Taylor's face was impassive but Gabriella knew that the news hurt her. When she had finished, Gabriella ordered another cup of coffee and stayed silent.

"I had no idea." Taylor whispered finally.

"I promised Troy I would never tell anyone." Chad added in. "About the rape, I mean, but I had no idea that he pushed the chick off the patio."

"There's something else, too." Gabriella whispered, her heart thudding painfully as she forced the words through her lips. "He's been sentenced to Death Row. And he only has a month left. Given what he told me, I think that there might be a way to push the conviction off and give me some time to come up with a way to save him."

Their expressions were carefully empty of any emotion or expression and Gabriella knew that she had lost any hope of them helping her. She should have kept her mouth shut,

"Gabs, I know you want to help, but I don't think that's possible. If he's already been convicted, new evidence might not be enough to push it back, especially because of all of his charges."

"But you're a lawyer." Gabriella insisted. "There has to be something that you could do with the evidence to at least push back his date."

Taylor was silent as she thought hard about it. Chad gave Gabriella a sympathetic look and reached out to pat her hand.

Gabriella kept her eyes on the tablecloth as she struggled to control the tears that were starting to work their way towards her eyes. This had been her only hope in saving Troy and without this little straw to grasp at, Gabriella truly saw the terrible reality looming over her: she was going to lose him and there was nothing that she could do to stop it.

Right now there was nothing she wanted more than to be able to curl up in Troy's arms and cry until she was too exhausted to do anything else. She yearned for the safety that she felt with him, and the knowledge that he was completely devoted to her and only her. She knew that he was someone that she could depend on, but he was being taken from her in less than three weeks.

Taylor caught Gabriella's gaze and looked at her for a long time. Gabriella don't know what she saw there, but Taylor straightened in her seat and sighed heavily, her gaze determined.

"There is _one_ option that might help the smallest bit." She said slowly. "But Troy's not going to like it. And neither are you, probably."

"No."

Troy's voice was hard and cold. Gabriella closed her eyes and squeezed the seat of the stool tighter in an effort to keep from getting angry at him. She had been working with him for the past two days on trying to accept Taylor's idea but he was being as stubborn as ever and would barely discuss it with her.

"This is your only choice, Troy." She said quietly. "If you want to live, than you're going to have to agree to this."

"I'm not crazy!" He yelled. "Just because you're a shrink and I have to see you, doesn't mean that I'm crazy!"

"Troy, I know you're not, but if we could just plead insanity, then you'd have a chance at-"

"No."

Gabriella opened her eyes to see Troy sitting on the bed a few feet away, his gaze empty of any emotion, other than anger. She wanted to be able to talk to him honestly because she really wasn't sure if he was just saying this because of the persona, or if he really was against the idea. Why was this so hard?

She tried a different route.

"What you told me the other day was so sad to hear and so horrible that I know a jury would fall for it with no problem. This is the only way that you'll get a chance to tell them your side of the story."

"They won't want to hear it, to them I'm just a criminal." Troy snapped.

"You'd be surprised - the human race is more empathetic than you give them credit for."

Troy really looked at her then, he had to see how hard she was trying to get through to him, but he just rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall, his gaze on the floor.

"No."

Frustrated, Gabriella gathered her things and left the cell, hiding in her office for the rest of the afternoon, fuming. She had a potential idea in how to save his life and Troy wouldn't even consider it. How was she supposed to get any leverage with him if he was insisting on being pig-headed in every decision?

_I'm just going to have to get it through to him that this is his only way for survival._ She thought sadly, swiping at a tear that rolled down her cheek. _I just don't know how._

A minute later, however, she realized that she _did_ know how. Gabriella grinned and grabbed the phone, crossing her fingers for good luck. This had to work, it was her - and his - only hope. She just hoped that it would.

"Chad!" She said excitedly when he picked up the phone. "I know how you can help. Can you meet me after work today? At that café again? I think I know how to motivate Troy even if he'll hate me for eternity for doing it."

"Sure thing, Gabs. I'll be there." He replied with what Gabriella thought sounded like a smile.

- Three Days Later -

Gabriella watched curiously as the petite blond sat in the interrogation room looking around in obvious fear. Gabriella could barely believe her luck that not only had Chad remembered the girl's name, but had found out where she had been staying, _and_ had gotten her to come into the prison on such short notice.

Three days ago, Gabriella hadn't even known that she was still alive, assuming that Troy had killed her the night of the rape all those years ago, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that he hadn't killed her, only put her in the hospital with some broken bones. Troy was due to arrive any minute and Gabriella could barely wait to see his reaction. As a precaution, she'd ordered him to be restrained on entrance, but she hoped the restraints wouldn't be necessary.

There was a loud beep and the door opened into the hallway, revealing two guards and Troy, looking as pissed off as ever. The blond girl stood up and smoothed down her skirt, watching Troy carefully, her eyes never straying from his face. Gabriella knew that she was terrified, it was in her body language, but her expression was calm and blank.

Troy froze when he saw who was waiting for him and Gabriella leaned close to the glass of the one way mirror, her eyes locked to his face. His reaction would be what her entire case was built off of. His eyes spiralled from disbelief, to shock, to fear, and then finally to pure hatred.

"Get her away from me." Troy said in a dangerously quiet voice. "Now."

His hands tensed up in the cuffs and Gabriella hurried into the other side of the room so that Troy could see her and realize it had been her to bring this situation into play.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He hissed as soon as he saw her.

"I need you to see that even though you screwed up that night, Troy, lots of good came out of it as well."

Troy growled and Gabriella knew she didn't have much time. The girl had edged back to the wall and was staring at Gabriella now.

"That night was terrible for you, Troy." She said quietly. "But it also proves to me and to you that you are _not_ a killer. She's standing right there, Troy. She's alive, well, and even happy. You are not a bad person, and you are not the person that you keep telling yourself that you are. This is what started off your rampage, right? Well your past seven years of your life have all been a lie. They haven't been based on facts, or anything other than what happened that night."

She paused and tried to read his expression. He glared straight ahead and refused to acknowledge her.

"So, by seeing how much good came out of that night, Troy, you should be able to see now, that you have some good in you."

She stepped forward a few paces ignoring his cold exterior. She knew that her words were getting to him.

"You are still the same person that you were that night at the party, Troy, and if you'll let yourself, you can get that person back . You can be the person that you always wanted to be - you just have to trust yourself to make the right decisions."

Finally, Troy looked at her, and Gabriella shivered at the hatred in his eyes. It wasn't just a persona, she was sure, Troy was actually hating her right at this moment. She stood her ground however.

"You had no right to do this." He said quietly, his eyes flashing. "You had _no_ right to do this to me."

Then, before the guards could stop him, he leapt from their grip, slammed Gabriella against the wall so hard that she saw stars and then ran from the room, ignoring the yells from the guards to stop moving.

Slumped against the wall in shock and betrayal, Gabriella heard alarms going off, but no gunshots. In the minutes after, she began to cry, knowing that she had just blown any chance at getting him to change his plea, but more importantly, getting him to really trust her.

He was gone from the prison, and gone from her. Either way she looked at it, she had lost him.

**AN: Okay guys, I know A LOT happened in that chapter. I hope you were all able to follow it. Feel free to PM me or ask questions in a review, I'm more than happy to explain. Thanks for reading, people!**


	12. Long Way To Go

**AN: Once again, thanks for your feedback! I love all of your comments. Things are picking up a little bit now, and I hope that you will enjoy the action! Also, I'm doing my best to research the facts and stuff for this story, but there's a chance that I might not get everything right. I'm doing my best so please don't hate on me if I get something wrong. Google can only provide so much! Anyways, rant over. Enjoy!**

A Long Way To Go

Troy had never been so alone in his life. Even in his darkest moments, he had people that he could depend on: fellow criminals, family, friends, and most recently, Gabriella. But now, even after two weeks on the run, he was still bone-achingly furious at her for doing what she had done to him. He should have known that their 'relationship' had just been a trick of hers in order to get him to open up with a secret that he hadn't told anyone but Chad. He never should have trusted her sweet, innocent eyes and her flirty giggles.

Hunched in the woods directly behind Gabriella's house, Troy weighed his options. He knew that he wanted to take out revenge on her, but he didn't know how to do it. It was obvious, even when he had pushed her hard, that she wasn't afraid of him, and he wasn't fond of the idea of hurting her for real. He wanted his revenge to show her just how angry and embarrassed she had made him in bringing the girl from the party in. He was even more furious because he knew just _who_ had given Gabriella that information. The idea of taking revenge out on both her and Chad at the same time was making a delightful smile creep up the sides of his grimy face.

Despite his furious attitude, however, a small part of his brain was processing what Gabriella had said to him when he had been in that interrogation room with the blonde girl. The fact that she believed he was a good person made him feel the slightest bit more at ease, even if he was still angry with her. Even more surprising to himself was the fact that he didn't think so badly of himself now that he realized that his first 'victim' had in fact, _not_ been a victim. He didn't believe Gabriella's comments on the past few years being a lie, because although his information had been faulty and he had been misinformed, he had still done the things that he did and nothing would change that.

His legs were getting cramped from squatting in the bushes that he was hiding in to watch when Gabriella got home. A glance around the neighbourhood told him that she'd be home within a few minutes. His hands will still locked behind him and frustrated at the restraints, Troy struggled to his feet and crept stealthily towards the door to Gabriella's basement, keeping himself in the long shadows from the trees and bushes. He knew that no one had seen him. Facing backwards, Troy gave the doorknob a twist and found it unlocked.

_I'll have to remind her to lock her doors._ He thought, before remembering that this wasn't a normal visit; he was here to punish her. To make sure that no one snuck up on him, Troy locked the door behind him when he entered the house. Troy crouched down and fell onto the floor of the basement, resting his head against a wall as he waited for Gabriella to get home. His mind was spinning and he was dying for a good meal. Maybe after he punished her, he'd steal a quick bite to eat before moving onto his next stop of the night: Chad's house. He was still trying to decide whether he should tie Gabriella up somewhere in the house that would take her a while to out of, or if he should just yell at her instead and threaten her, when he heard someone at the basement door, yanking on the doorknob. Senses alert, Troy froze instinctively and breathed evenly in and out as he waited to see if the intruder would try to break the door down. The intruder, however, left a few seconds later and Troy relaxed again.

_Just kids._ he assured himself

A few seconds later he heard Gabriella enter the house through the front door and Troy silently rose to his feet, walked a few paces as he listened to her putter around in the kitchen. After fifteen minutes had passed, Troy crept forward a few paces and listened. He couldn't hear her moving around anymore and assumed that she was relaxing in the living room or something. Now was his chance.

A sudden squeaking of the basement door sent him scurrying back into the shadows, however, and he cursed himself for missing the sounds of her footsteps approaching. He was losing his burglar senses and needed to get his act together fast before she realized he was here.

A dim light flowed through the opening of the door and Troy made sure that he was far from where the light stopped reaching. He knew that she couldn't see him, but what she said then nearly made him cry out in shock.

"I'm leaving a plate of food for you here, Troy, on the top of the stairs. You need to eat it - I'm sure you haven't been eating properly in the past few weeks. This should keep your body from shutting down on you. Eat it all, Troy, or I swear I'll call the police on you."

The door closed again and Troy stood there, his mouth hanging open in the darkness. It was definitely Gabriella's voice, there was no doubt about that, but Troy had no idea how she could have figured out that he was in the basement. He had made certain that he had entered the house before she had gotten home!

The smell of the home-made meal had him bounding up the stairs in seconds and he stared at it in physical agony, unable to pick it up with his still cuffed hands. Then he sat a steak knife sitting directly beside the plate and he turned around and grasped it tightly in one hand, feeling around until he had managed to pick the lock in the handcuffs, freeing his wrists finally.

He took the warm plate down by a window, sitting on the floor beneath it so that no one could see him from the outside, but that he could see what he was about to eat. The plate was wrapped in tin foil and there was a piece of notepaper taped to the top, Troy pulled it off and placed it aside, deciding to read it later. He ripped the tin foil off of the plate and his mouth watered at the sight of the heaping pile of mashed potatoes, an equally large pile of cooked spinach tossed with chives, and a smaller portion of some sort of beef. Yum.

Troy unwrapped the cutlery from the napkin that was tucked to the side of the food and dug into the meal, forcing himself to take his time and pace himself otherwise he'd only get sick later on. Soon, though, the plate was empty and Troy put it on the floor, picking up the note that he had put aside earlier. It was covered in neat cursive writing that could only be Gabriella's.

_I can only imagine how angry you are with me, but I hope that you won't refuse the little help that I can give you. For as long as you choose to come back, I will keep placing food in the basement until you leave me a note saying otherwise. Just slip it under my door. There's a first aid kit and a bottle of vitamins tucked into the back corner by the door with a case of water bottles. Please take care of yourself. You know where I am if there's anything else that I can do to help you._

It was only when he finished reading the letter when Troy realized how stupid his plan of revenge had been. Of course he could never do anything that would hurt Gabriella, he was crazy about her! Why the idea that she meant nothing to him had popped into his head in the first place, he had no idea.

Dying to see her now and thank her, Troy got to his feet, folded the note, and put it in the corner with the supplies that she had stocked up for him. Gratitude putting a smile on his face, Troy hopped up the stairs and then snuck through the house, ensuring that it was only Gabriella in it. She was sitting with her back to him, watching a cooking show on television, her hands working away on something she was knitting.

Troy stood up straight when he saw that the curtains were pulled and then walked carefully towards her, his pace slow so that she would see he was there. She must have spotted him by now, but even when he sat down on the couch beside her, she kept her eyes on the television, and her hands flying through the knitting. He sat beside her in silence, his hands folded in his lap.

"Did you eat it all?" She asked quietly.

"Yes. Thank you. I appreciate it a lot." He replied just as quietly, sneaking a glance at her.

She nodded and stopped knitting long enough to take a sip of coffee, still not looking at him.

"There's a fresh pot in the kitchen if you'd like a cup."

Troy did just that and when he had settled down on the couch again, he placed the mug of coffee on the table and turned toward her. Not knowing how else to show his gratitude, he leaned forward and kissed her shoulder. She stopped knitting and turned toward him, gripping his cheek in her hand and kissed him properly.

It continued on for a few minutes and when Gabriella finally pulled away from him, she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms encircling his neck. Troy tangled his fingers in her hair and sighed, deciding that it was time to tear down his walls and really talk to her. He tightened his grip on her and began in a quiet, calm voice.

"Gabi, as soon as I saw her, I knew what you were trying to do. I knew that you were only trying to show me that I wasn't as a bad as a person as I thought I was, but the thing that hurt me so much about that is the fact that you pulled it on me as a surprise. That girl…she took so much from me and I hate that she didn't have to pay for that. When I killed her - or thought I had killed her - it was an accident, it really was, and it made me upset, but down deep, I was glad that I had."

Troy took a deep breath before he continued, relaxing a bit as he felt Gabriella snuggle closer to him. He placed his cheek on the top of her head and kept going, determined to tell her everything before he closed himself off again.

"I'm sorry that I pushed you, but I want you to know why. I was angry, yes, but I was also scared, Gabi. Seeing the girl in the prison like that made me feel like I was just as vulnerable as I was that night of the party. I was scared knowing that she was still alive, that she didn't pay for what she did to me. I was scared also because you and her had contact and I didn't know what she told you. I was terrified that you'd believe her if she got all soppy and started crying. I-I didn't have the strength to lose you like that, so I just pushed you instead. And I'm sorry."

Troy fell silent, breathing hard at the emotional statements. For a few minutes Gabriella didn't move or say anything, but Troy remained silent and stroked her hair with his eyes closed. Finally, she pulled away from him and touched his cheek so he'd open his eyes.

"Troy, I could see it all in your face. That's why I knew that you were eventually going to come back to me. So I left my basement door unlocked and checked it everyday when I came home. If it was locked then I knew you were there because you'd never leave a door unlocked because someone might be able to sneak up on you. I knew that when you accepted the food that you'd be ready to talk. I'm sorry to bring this up, Troy, but do you think that you could change your mind about the insanity plea?"

Troy struggled to keep from getting angry.

"I can't. I'm sorry, I know you're trying to help, but I can't. And it's not a pride thing…I just….I can't lie like that. I knew what I was doing that night, Gabi, even if I didn't mean to push her off of that ledge."

Gabriella nodded and kissed him gently.

"I think I may have another idea…but it's still something I'm sorting through."

Her gaze grew cloudy as she got lost in thought about the idea. She blinked a few times and then smiled sweetly at him.

"Your execution date is in a week and I need more time than that so I need you to stay missing until I can figure it out. So…I was thinking that maybe you could…stay with me."

Troy grinned and nodded eagerly.

"It'll put you at risk, Troy, but it's the only option we've got where I can know that you are in the safest you can be. Come and go as you please, but I want you to know that this can be your safe place."

Troy nodded again.

"I think that's an excellent idea. But do I have to stay down in the basement the whole time?" He asked hopefully.

Gabriella burst out into laughter, her brown eyes sparkling. She shook her head and pulled him down for another kiss. It was clear that they still had quite a long way to go, and Troy had not the slightest idea what kind of thing Gabriella was planning to save him with, but at least he knew he could trust her now. He might still be figuring out who he was as a person, but he had no doubts about Gabriella. Finally, he wasn't alone.

**AN: Too mushy? Corny? Horrible? Please let me know! Thanks guys! Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	13. A Twist in the Tale

**AN: Thank you everybody, your comments (as usual) made me smile! If any of you have some constructive criticism, please feel free to let me know, I can take it! Also, before I forget, I randomly Googled myself (my real name, I mean) and I discovered that I have a fansite! All of the writing on it came from here as well as Fictionpress, and while I appreciate whoever put it up, and am very flattered by the gesture, I need to ask whoever it was to please take it down. Why? Because I don't like my real name out on the internet. I know there's only a handful of you that even know my name, but I know that it must have been one of my readers that made the website. Whoever this person is, you don't need to tell me if it was you, however you can if you wish to. Also, I really am not mad or annoyed, quite the opposite, I'm just a little paranoid, haha! Thank you!**

**Okay, so, here you go! Enjoy, readers!**

Twist in the Tale

Gabriella was practically bouncing in her chair as she watched the minute hand of the clock inch closer to number that she had been dreading: Troy's execution time. She knew that Troy was safe in her home, but the officials from the prison had been searching high and low for the convict, trying to assure the frightened public that they'd catch him sooner or later. The rush, however, was due to the fact that today was the day that Troy was scheduled to be executed, and Gabriella knew that the guards of the prison as well as the board of directors were unhappy that their plans had been thwarted.

A productive work day was out of the question, but Gabriella kept up the appearances, knowing that if she did anything suspicious, it would just draw attention to herself. She pulled out her planner and checked her meetings for the day: luckily she had had the foresight to push a lot of them to tomorrow, and she had booked the afternoon off quite some time ago, thinking that she would need the afternoon to re-cooperate from Troy's death. Now, however, it gave her the opportunity to meet with Taylor and let her in on the inside details of her plan.

Nervous and edgy, Gabriella glanced at the clock again and willed for noon to come faster, she needed to get out of this stuffy office or she was going to scream. In just a few weeks, her once amazing job had turned into something that she could no longer bear, disgusted at the fact that the law could turn such a sweet person into a terrified, emotionally unstable killer. Troy, if nothing else, had taught her that.

Troy.

Gabriella ran a hand through her hair as she went back over the events of the past few days, smiling a bit as she recalled how _normal_ things had been between her and Troy. Sure, there was always that under current of fear and danger, but they spent a lot of time talking about their pasts (though Troy was still reluctant to talk about anything since high school) and laughed at each other's embarrassing memories. The relationship had blossomed into something that Gabriella had never had before and she relished the change with a welcome heart, knowing now - for certain - that this was the person that she belonged with.

_ Flashback _

_The television was on in the living room, but neither of them were paying much attention to it, to engrossed in the memories that they were dragging up as the two of them pored over their high school yearbook. They laughed at hairstyles and recalled how they had each known every person, and Gabriella was happy to see that Troy seemed completely relaxed and trusting in her company._

_There was no denying that every moments spent together was dangerous and undoubtedly going to end in pain and separation, but the two of them did their best to ignore that fact, focussing instead on the fact that they were together at all without cameras pointed at them or other people watching them carefully._

_Before long, Troy closed the book and gently pulled Gabriella onto his lap, kissing her gently and murmuring nonsense into her ear. Knowing his body language well, now, Gabriella knew that this was his way of asking for more, but for the moment she gently pushed him away and looked him in the eye._

"_I need to ask you something."_

"_Sure." Troy replied quietly, reading her change in mood. Curiosity was alight in his eyes, as well as a hint of fear. She kissed him quickly to assure him that she meant only good by her question._

"_That first night that you came to me…and you asked me that question…what prompted you to ask me?"_

_Troy smiled at the memory and stroked her hair as he thought for a moment. Gabriella settled her head on his shoulder and waited patiently, closing her eyes with a smile on her lips. _

"_I don't really know, honestly." He replied after a few minutes, a smile in his voice. "It's not like you gave me any signs or anything. I didn't know what I felt at all, but I knew that even though I put up this front, you were growing on me. I guess I didn't realize how much until I was in your house and you were looking at me like you wanted to help me."_

"_But why did you ask me if you loved me? I can't figure that out!"_

_Troy laughed._

"_I could tell that you were struggling with something difficult, but that you weren't aware of it. It was in your eyes, the way you'd only meet my gaze for a few seconds at the most, even in the prison, and the way that you were careful with how you sat and talked and held yourself. I just did that to help you realize that something was going on. I never thought that it would go as far as it did."_

_He laughed._

"_Do you regret anything?" Gabriella asked quietly, still with her eyes closed. _

_When Troy didn't respond, Gabriella opened her eyes and looked up at him in concern. He was still smiling, however, and she relaxed a bit. _

"_I regret that I was stupid enough to not ask you out in high school like I wanted to."_

_Gabriella's jaw dropped at this._

"_You…you liked me in high school?" She repeated slowly, her mind pondering this new information. "I thought you didn't know who I was!"_

_Troy chuckled and sighed._

"_I knew who you were, Brie."_

_They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. There were a lot of things that Gabriella wanted to know about Troy, but she didn't want to push him too far in asking her questions. She wanted him to open up to her because he wanted to, not because she asked him to._

"_It's my turn to ask you a question." Troy said quietly. "Do I have a chance of my charges being dropped? At all? Is there any hope for us?"_

_This was exactly the question that Gabriella had been dreading. She took a deep breath, but answered him anyway; he had the right to know._

"_There is hope, Troy, but not much. The idea that I'm working on definitely has some advantages: it'll give us time to build a better case. It might also give you - the you that they know - a more human side."_

_A muscle in Troy's cheek jumped but he nodded._

"_But, no, Troy, I can't promise you that it'll work."_

_She hid her face in his chest then, despair evident in her expression. Her idea was half-baked and weak at best. She knew that there were more odds piling against her than for her. _

"_I believe in you, Brie, and the power that you have over people. Even if you're worried it might not work, I know that it will. Maybe not in the way that you think, but you will absolutely have an effect on some level."_

"_You think?" She asked quietly._

_Troy shook his head and kissed her._

"_I know."_

_ End Of Flashback_

Gabriella idly started typing about another patient that she had seen the day before and resisted the urge to look at the clock again. It wouldn't make the day go any faster and it only made her more edgy than she already was. The meeting with Taylor had her nervous too and she was doing her best not to be too stressed about that. She knew, however, that her friend might not want to help her after she knew everything. Troy would be angry with her for telling Taylor, but Gabriella knew that complete honesty was the only way that she would be able to have any hope of saving Troy from the law.

Her cell phone pinged in her bag and Gabriella scrambled for it, smiling at Taylor's text asking if they were still on for their plans. Gabriella replied that they were and then tapped her phone on her hand for a minute, unable to relax. There was a knock on her office door and Gabriella jumped to her feet, trying to compose herself before answering it.

A guard stood in front of her and for a moment, Gabriella couldn't breathe. She forced herself to smile and opened her door wider to let him in. He entered the room and then turned to face her, his expression grim.

"I was sent to inform you that the execution, due to the lack of the convict, is scheduled for a day after his capture. You should be getting an email with the details soon. And just between you and I, we _will_ capture this guy."

He smiled in what Gabriella knew was supposed to be a reassuring way, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was now her enemy just because of what he had just said to her. She smiled again and nodded.

"Thank you for coming to tell me yourself, I appreciate that you thought of little me in my office. I hope that you can get some rest tonight, you've worked hard."

When he had left again, Gabriella was almost beside herself. Glancing at the clock and deciding it was close enough to noon (it was 11:30) she grabbed her things and left the prison as quickly as she could, her mind already wandering to what Taylor's reaction might be when everything spilled out.

Taylor was quiet for a long time after Gabriella had finished talking. Gabriella was so nervous that she was shaking and had hidden her hands in her lap, her eyes searching her friend's face. When Taylor did speak, Gabriella tried not to get her hopes up.

"What you've told me…well…it won't help your case at all. In fact, it might hinder it, if anything. But I'm glad you told me ahead of time, Gabi. And putting all that legal stuff aside, I'm not that surprised. When you told Chad and I about what happened to him back in college, I was pretty sure that something else was going on."

Gabriella blushed.

"Legally, though, this is bad. Really bad, Gabriella. In the courtroom, everything that you say will not make a difference because of the fact that you were involved with him. It's not going to matter that your evaluations of him are good ones, it still won't matter in a court. No judge will let that stand."

There was a moment of strained silence.

"I know you don't want to hear this, Gabi, but I honestly don't know if you're going to have a case. Not anymore. It won't save Troy."

"Maybe that won't. But I _do_ have something that might save him. There's one more thing that I haven't told you. Or anyone at all for that matter." Gabriella started slowly. Her heart was thudding and she was shaking so hard that she was sure Taylor could see.

"Do you know something?" Taylor asked when Gabriella didn't continue with her sentence.

Taking a gulp of lukewarm coffee, Gabriella nodded and tried to continue, knowing that it needed to come out, that it was her only hope in saving him.

"It won't save his life, but I think that it'll buy him some time…" She trailed off again, terror making her mute.

"Gabi, you can tell me." Taylor said gently, reaching out and grasping Gabriella's cold fingers. "Nothing that you say can shock me more than anything that you just told me.

Gabriella wasn't so sure, but she closed her eyes and blurted it anyway.

"I'm pregnant."

**AN: Alright so this was a bombshell. Did anyone guess this ahead of time? This was Gabriella's 'idea' that was mentioned earlier. All shall be explained in the next few chapters. Things are starting to get crazy now! Thanks for reading everyone!**


	14. Life or Death

**AN: Alright, so this is the last chapter, guys! I've really enjoyed writing this story and I hope you've all enjoyed reading it! This might not be the ending you were expecting, but I hope you will still enjoy it all the same! **

Life or Death

The day had been bittersweet for Gabriella, and her head was spinning so fast that she could barely walk the two blocks home from Taylor's house. Their meeting had taken a huge turn of events. And now, to make matters worse, she had to go home, tell Troy that she was pregnant and in the same breath, that they were doomed in the effort to save his life. She couldn't believe how fast things had changed. Maybe she shouldn't have told Taylor everything, but Gabriella knew that if she hadn't she wouldn't know the valuable information that she did now.

The reminder of how much she had learned sent her walking faster down the street, desperate to get home now and tell Troy everything. There was no more reason for her to keep her pregnancy a secret, her plan had taken a full circle since she had met with Taylor. Their meeting had gone later than she expected, much later, and she was sure that Troy was going be worried when she got back. He had thought that they were going out for lunch, not remaking Troy's plan of survival.

Upon reaching the door to her house, Gabriella was careful to make sure that no one was lurking around, now was not the time to get caught by the police. Locking the door behind her, Gabriella went straight to the basement where she knew Troy would be hiding, her mind still buzzing in a way that kept her thoughts at a minimum.

_Save Troy, save Troy._ Her mind chanted over and over as she took large steps to the basement. She threw open the door and didn't even bother to turn on the light, bumbling down the steps by memory.

"Troy?" She called out, shaking the tears from her face. She didn't have time to cry now, she had a life to save and not much time to do it. "Troy, where are you?"

"Right here, Gabi." She heard him say. She flailed her arms in the direction his voice had come from.

He grasped her wrist and she sighed in relief, flinging her arms around him and kissing him again and again. She hadn't realized just how strained today had been for her until now, when she could feel him safe in her arms.

"There's so much I have to tell you…there's not a lot of time." She breathed finally, her head resting on his shoulder. "Can you multitask?"

"Sure." He said quietly.

They made their way upstairs and Gabriella kept her voice low, going through her closet and grabbing clothes at random, her hands folding the garments automatically. Troy, listening intently, took the folded clothes from her and stacked it into piles, not even bothering to ask.

"Troy, I've been working with Taylor to try and change your conviction, I thought that if we used your reaction from seeing the girl from the party, it would help the jury understand that you're just someone who was defending yourself against a girl that hurt you in a way that no one should."

She paused and started digging through a deep corner of her closet for a suitcase. Her brain was acting on autopilot now and she knew that she would be fine until they got to a place where they were safe: there was no chance of her crying now.

"Taylor's been helping with the legal stuff that I don't know how to do, but today I knew that I had to tell her everything…I needed to tell her about us, Troy, because if I didn't, it would only come back to hurt us in the end. She needed to know before we went to trial."

Troy looked confused and Gabriella paused her hunt for a moment, taking his hands in hers, her gaze sad and ashamed.

"I know that this must seem so strange to you to hear about the possibility of a trial, but it was something that we were trying to get for you."

Troy nodded numbly, still listening attentively. This was a good sign, he wasn't angry with her for confiding in Taylor. Gabriella took a deep breath and kept going, drawing strength from the willingness to understand and the trust in his expression.

"But once I told her, Taylor told me that if this went to trial, nothing that I said about you would be able to hold up in court. All of your assessments, all of the morals that I know you have, Troy, they wouldn't be seen by the jury because they'd be thrown out."

"Because we were a couple…" Troy clarified. "They would think that you're biased."

Gabriella nodded with a sad smile. "I guess they don't understand the idea of compartmentalization."

Troy laughed at her weak joke and gestured for her to continue.

"There was no way that I would be able to save you, Troy." She said slowly and carefully, her voice quiet but strong. "If I put you in the hands of the court - in the hands of the law - you were as good as dead. So Taylor told me that the only way to keep you safe - really truly safe - was to take you out of the hands of the law. Completely."

"I-I don't…I don't understand." He whispered.

"I'm asking you to come with me, Troy, I'm asking you to come start a new life with me somewhere else. As a new person."

Shock took over his expression. He just gaped at her, his mouth hanging open, and Gabriella turned and dragged her suitcase out of the elusive closet. While she waited for his mind to catch up, she threw her belongings in, and zipped it closed, taking his hands once more when she had finished.

"You want me to…run away with you?" He mumbled.

A touch of a smile appeared on his lips and Gabriella smiled back.

"Yes, Troy." She whispered, searching his expression for an answer. "I'm asking you to run away with me."

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He paced a few steps back and forth as he pondered over everything that she had just thrown at him. Gabriella saw disbelief, fear, uncertainty, joy, and hope in his expression, but she wasn't looking for any of that. Finally, more for her own benefit than his, she caught his arm and made him face her again.

"What do you say, Troy? What do want to do?"

"If I stay here…there's not much hope for me at all is there? If I stay here, the cops will eventually find me here, arrest you too, and then we'll both be stuck in prison, and never able to see each other again. There's no hope for me here, nothing at all."

Gabriella nodded, trying to be patient. He needed to work through this at his own pace.

"So I guess the answer is obvious." He said carefully. "I guess we're going to have to run away."

She touched his cheek until he looked at her.

"Is this what you want, Troy?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice breaking just the slightest bit. Evidently, everything was catching up to him and Gabriella knew that she needed to get the answer from him before he succumbed to the emotions trembling through him.

"I just want to make sure that this is something that you really want, because once we decide to do this, Troy, once we really leave and disappear - there's no going back from there. The last time that you made a choice this big, it ended up badly for you and I know that you wish you could go back and undo it. That all happened because of false information. So I'm laying out everything in front of you now, Troy, and I want you to make sure you know the risks of both sides of this decision."

Gabriella looked at him for a long moment and then quietly left the room, hoping the solitude would give him the space and the time that he needed to make the decision. She knew that she would support whatever he chose, but a part of her - the selfish part - wanted him to choose freedom with her.

_Stop thinking that way._ She chided herself, searching through the pantry for food that they could take with them if they chose to run. _This is his decision to make, not mine._

Gabriella heard footsteps from behind her and she steeled her nerves before turning around, keeping her face neutral so that he could tell her what he needed to tell her. His face was pained and Gabriella felt her heart skip a beat.

"Gabs…you'll hate me for saying this, but I can't lie to you." He faltered and then cleared his throat, trying again. "I've thought about everything that you've told me and I looked at both sides of the decision like you asked me to….and when I really thought about it, I realized how much I _hated_ living on the run."

He paused and looked at her, searching her expression. She tried to smile but didn't get very far - she knew what he was saying.

"Dodging from place to place is terrifying, Gabi. It's not a life that I'd ever want to live again. And you'd hate it even more than I would. There's so many stories that I could tell you about living on the run that would make your skin crawl, Gabs, but I won't because I don't want to scare you. The idea was a good one. A really good one, and if I didn't know what it entailed, maybe I'd consider it. But living that lifestyle as long as I have, I can't go back. Not again."

Gabriella felt tears pushing on the back of her eyes and she took a few deep breaths, trying to keep her cool. She could still convince him.

"Troy…if you stay here, they'll find you. If we go to Paris, they can't-"

Troy shook his head, cutting her off with a sad smile.

"I've been there and done that. It doesn't work, Gabi, they'll find a way. There's no way out of this for me. I should have realized that as soon as I met you. I know you want me to go with you, but I can't."

His voice was clipped now and Gabriella realized just how hard this was for him as well as her. She wanted to tell him that it was alright, that she understood, but she couldn't because it _wasn't_ alright and she _didn't_ understand. She wanted to live with him for the rest of her life and here he was telling her no, that he didn't want to live on the run.

"So that's it, then?" She asked quietly. "That's all we can do? No more fighting or trying to save you?"

Troy took a step forward, reaching out to her with a pleading expression.

"Gabs, you have to understand! Living like that will change you so much that you won't even recognize yourself!"

"So?" Gabriella cried, tears beginning to fall. "At least you'd be _alive!_ They'll find you here, Troy, and they _will_ kill you! They're furious with you already! How are they going to feel when they realize that you've been with me this whole time?"

Troy smiled, now.

"They won't ever know, Gabi, because they're not going to find me. I'm going to turn myself in and then the only ones that will know about us will be myself, you, and Taylor. You'll still have a career and you'll still have a life after I'm gone."

Gabriella started crying then.

"Troy, no!" She sobbed, beginning to tremble. How had things gotten so out of hand? Only minutes ago she had been packing to leave for Paris and now Troy was breaking her heart without trying to. "Troy, please…"

Her mind emptied of anything else to say and she crumpled onto the cool tiles of the kitchen floor, hugging her knees and trying to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs. Troy knelt beside her and she scrambled over to him, holding him so tightly that it must have hurt him.

"Don't do this…" She whimpered some time later when her tears had finally melted into hiccups. "You have so much good that you can offer to the world, Troy. Don't give up on yourself."

Troy laughed bitterly.

"Good? Gabi, I'm a killer. What good can I possibly give to the world?"

"Don't say that!" She cried, hitting him on the chest.

Troy just hugged her tighter and for a long time neither one of them said anything. Gabriella knew that he had made up his mind, and she knew that there was nothing that she could do to stop him if he wanted to turn himself in. She was helpless.

"I can't watch you die…" She whimpered into his shirt.

She felt Troy sigh quietly, his fingers stroking her hair.

"I don't think you should be there, Brie."

She couldn't argue anymore. Everything hurt too much. Instead she just sat there in his arms, trying to soak up everything she possibly could to remember him. She knew that this would be their last night together and that after tonight, everything would be permanently, irreversibly different.

The next morning, he'd already left when she realized that she'd forgotten to tell him. After everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours she had somehow completely forgotten to tell him that she was pregnant.

"_Don't do this…you have so much good that you can offer to the world, Troy. Don't give up on yourself."_

"_Good? Gabi, I'm a killer. What good can I possibly give to the world?"_

The words of their conversation floated back to her as she sat numbly on the couch with an untouched cup of coffee sitting beside her and for a moment Gabriella couldn't breathe. He had plenty of goodness to give to the world, not that the idea was new to her, but now she could prove it to him. He was a father - how was that a bad thing?

When the prison had called earlier that morning and told her that Troy had been captured only a few blocks from the prison and that his death sentence had been set for that afternoon, Gabriella had thought that things couldn't possibly have gotten any worse, but she realized now that they just had. She needed to see him. Now.

Everything was against her today, it seemed. Gabriella hit every red light on the way to the prison and when she got there, she discovered that she wasn't allowed to see him. Nobody was seeing as he had escaped from the maximum security prison twice and was notorious for his fights with guards. Gabriella knew that she needed to find whoever had helped him escape the other times and convince the person to help her. With a jolt, however, Gabriella realized that his execution was in less than an hour. That didn't give her much time. She'd have to work fast.

She'd failed. The cell, when she had finally gotten into it, was empty. The bed had been stripped and the cell had been washed with some sort of strong cleaner that made the inside of Gabriella's nose tingle and burn. Fighting tears, she leaned against the wall outside the cell, her mind spinning. What now? Then with a start, she started running down the hall, cell phone to her ear as she barked orders to the guard who had helped her in the first place. The holding room's doors were locked but Gabriella had the master key and she slipped into the room, desperately hoping.

And there he was.

Troy stood staring off into space, his face pale but determined. Gabriella shut the door and locked it behind her, gaining Troy's attention. He did a double take but Gabriella looked around the room first, ensuring that the guard had turned off the cameras as she had requested. She knew that convicts were only kept in the holding room for a few minutes as they readied the execution room and Gabriella prayed that she would have enough time.

"What are you doing here?" Troy hissed.

"The cameras are off." Gabriella said evenly, keeping her voice steady. "There's something that I forgot to tell you. If you can't sacrifice your freedom for me, then maybe…maybe you could do it for your child. I-I'm pregnant, Troy."

She hadn't meant to say it so bluntly, but there wasn't time for extra words.

"I was going to tell you when we escaped together, it was meant to be a surprise, but then you decided not to come and I was so busy trying to change your mind that…I just forgot to tell you."

Troy was stunned, but he didn't start yelling at her like she thought he would have. Instead he grinned and ran a hand through his hair. She searched his face, trying to get something - anything - that she could go off of.

"Troy, did you hear me? We have you get you out of here! I need you, Troy, and so does this baby."

He just shook his head, still smiling.

"I wish I could live to see this baby, but they'd never let me do that." He murmured more to himself then her. "this is good, though, Gabi. This is so good."

He walked over to her and grasped her arms, his face breaking out into a smile so big that Gabriella blinked.

"Don't you see? This is my do-over, Gabi! This is my chance to prove to the world that there's some good in me! This child is going to be amazing, and this is my way of righting my karma."

"I don't understand…we need to get you out of here, Troy." Gabriella cried, trying to tug him to the door.

Troy spun her around to face him again and pulled her into a tight hug.

"This is the way to make it right." He repeated into her ear. "The way to make up for all the lives I've taken. If I die, and this child lives, then the good part of me is still living, still with you."

Gabriella's jaw dropped. He couldn't be serious.

"Troy!"

"No, Gabs, this is how it's supposed to be."

"Troy, I can't lose you!"

"You aren't…" He murmured, stroking her hair and trying to reassure her. "I'll still be with you, you'll still see me in that child every day!"

Troy gently pulled her away and cupped her face in his hands.

"Thank you for telling me." He kissed her, then tensed. Gabriella could hear the guards coming. "I love you, Gabi, and I know that I would have loved this baby even more. Remember that, please, and I'll always be with you."

Gabriella opened her mouth to say something else, but Troy shook his head, kissed her once more and then gently pushed her away, just as the cameras went back on and the door to the holding cell opened. Their time was up.

"Bolton, it's time." A guard said. Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to face the guards and exited the cell first, her expression sombre but composed. The little group entered the hallway and Gabriella felt her heart hammering in her chest.

"Troy!" she called. The two guards turned with Troy and Gabriella saw that Troy was almost glaring at her.

_Don't throw your life away, Gabi._ His eyes said.

She reached out a hand and Troy carefully stretched out a hand to meet hers in a handshake. She squeezed his fingers ever so slightly and he returned the pressure.

"It was a pleasure working with you." She said carefully.

Troy just nodded and dropped her hand, turning from her and beginning to walk again, but not before Gabriella had seen the tears in his eyes. God, this was hard. Gabriella leaned against the wall for strength and watched as Troy, the guy of her dreams, walked the short distance to the execution chamber, turned to look at her and they both smiled the smallest bit. Then he was gone and the door shut behind the group with a final 'clang'. Gabriella let out the breath she had been holding and trembled a bit, but didn't cry. Even though her heart was breaking, Troy had been right. She would still have a part of him with her through this child.

_It's not fair!_ Her mind cried.

Gabriella didn't disagree, but if her short time with Troy had taught her anything, it had been that life, love, and death never played fair. There was no rule book when it came to either of the three, and Gabriella had to live with the outcome. She was strong, she could do this. She had Troy.

**AN: Alright. So, that's a wrap. I really, really hope you all don't hate me. This was the ending I had planned from the start and even though I put some different angles in there, none of them would have worked. I hope you all understand that! Also, if anyone's confused or has questions about why I ended it the way I did, please just let me know. Thank you so much, guys, for your support, you're amazing! I probably won't be posting any more stories, but my profile will remain up and running so that you all can come back and re-read anything you'd like to. Thank you all for taking the time to read my stuff and give me nice comments! I'll never forget you guys!**


End file.
